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TAKOHT THE WILL OF GOD, 

BY 

KEY. WALTER JAMES HUBBARD, 
Evangelist of the Shenandoah Baptist Association, 

WITH AN 

INTRODUCTION 



BY 



REV. L. R. MILBOURNE. 



* ' » » » » f) 



■9^9- 






LURAY, VA.: 

HURST & CO., Printers. 
1902. 



Bound By 
WEYMOUTH, MEISTER & SMETHIE, 
Richmond, Va. 



THE LIBRARY OF 


CONGRESS. 


Two Copies 


Received 


FEB 26 


1903 


CopyiUJht 


Entry 


^-tt.*?. 


t q oi^ 


CLASS O^ 


XXc. No. 


^y(o(o^ 1 


COPY 


B- 1 






Entered according to act of Congress, in the jear of our Lord 1902, b}- W. 
J. Hubbard, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at WashingrtorB 



PRICE, ;$T. 00 PER Copy . 
Order of Rev. W. J. HUBBARD, 

MiDDLEWAY, 

W. Va. 



DEDICATION. 



To the committee, Bros. John T. Colston, D. H. Jones, 
Geo. W. Cone, T. J. Berrey, Eugene Baker, and 
C. H. Shipman, secretary to the committee, 
appointed by the Shenandoah Association, 
in session at Luray, Va., Aug. 29th, 
30th anddlst, 1900, to engage and 
direct the labors of the As- 
sociational Evangelist, to 
ivhich work they call- 
ed the writer, Oct. 
27th, 1900; 
To the Shenandoah Association, ivhose uni- 
form kindness and courtesy have 
placed the writer under last- 
ing obligations; 
To the General Association of the Baptists of Virgin- 
ia, and to the great Baptist brotherhood, where- 
ever found throughout the ivorld, ivho have 
held, at least, theoretically, to the suprem- 
acy of God's tvord, in all matters per- 
taining to the doctrines of Faith 
and Practice, and also em- 
bracing in these terms. 
Church Polity; 



To all Christians, looking forward to the uniting of 
all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerely, in 
one body, that is say, in one church, on the basis 
of New Testament teaching, ivithout dogma- 
tism on the one hand, or compulsion on 
the other, unitedly symphonizing and tvait- 
ing on Cod the Holy Spirit in all mat- 
ters of doubt, controversy and differ- 
ences, for His conciliating 
influence and guidance 
' 'Hnto All Truth,''— 

This Volume 

Is respectfully dedicated as a token of regard 
and esteem by 

The Author. 



f>^^!B^Sdi^. 



This work, which was begun by us on March 10th, 
1901, is now ready to go to press and be submitted to 
the public. 

It has been written under diverse (if not adverse) 
circumstances and surroundings, and in divers places, 
— at home, on the road, at depots, on the train, in pri- 
vate and public, etc. 

There may be a crudeness about it, as the envi- 
ronment has not always been the best for sober and 
consecutive thought, and we may mention in addition 
to the cause given, for lack of continuity of thought 
and disjointedness in composition, another and great- 
er reason, for this seemingly (if it really does occur) 
decrepitness, while the truths upon which we, have 
written are as old in statement and form as the Bible 
itself which contains them, yet they have come to us 

as a 

Personal 

revelation. We have been, therefore, in our experi- 
ence, as a pioneer in formulating our thoughts into 
sentences and arriving at conclusions. 

The wide chasm between the Bible teaching and 

the 

Practice 

of proCesssing Christains of to-day has startled us! 

For example, while the church, apparently, is satis- 



6 pr|^:face. 

fied with division, and silent as to union, the Bible 
proclaims it ever\ whei-e — almost upon every page! 

We confess, as we submit the thoughts expressed 
in these pages to the public, that we do not under- 
stand how Christains can 

Remain 
silent as to unity, stay apart and advocate the 

Thousand and More 
divisions into which they have separated I The mind 
that can compass it, reconcile it, and apologize for it, 
can do greater things than ours ! Ours cannot unrav- 
el it. The logic of the case to us is so plain and irref- 
utable, that the silence of the church is mysterious, 
inexplicable, if not criminal ! Again, the many things 
taught by ministers and the churches which they rep- 
resent, which have no foundation in the Scriptures, 
are to us, a serious 

Menace 
to the well-being of the cause of God's truth. For ex- 
ample, we are solemnly impressed with what our Sav- 
ior said about false prophets and what makes one a 
false prophet. Matt. 8: 15-20; Is. 7: 20. It is clear- 
ly shown that any one who teaches a falsehood is to 
the extent of the error taught, a false prophet. If the 
teaching of any thing that is untrue makes one cor- 
respondingly a false prophet, then the teaching of 
what some are pleased to call non-essentials becomes 
a serious matter. 

Those who teach contrary to the spirit and letter 
of the New Testament, put themselves under the 

Ban 
of our Saviour's, "Beware of false prophets," and are 
responsible in part for the disastrous results which 
have followed and follow therefrom. 



PREFACE. 7 

We have no apology to offer in presenting the 
work to the public. Our 

Call 
to write has been as distinct as our call to preach. 

Believing, then, that we have received a commis- 
sion to write, we have persevered, in what we con- 
sider our God-given task, and send it forth as His 
message, to fulfil His will, as, we believe, He has 
for it a specific mission. 

Mention must be made here of the kindness and 
assistance of Rev. L. R. Milbourne, of Charlestown, 
W. Va., for reading and making corrections of man- 
uscript, and also for an introduction to the book, and 
for many other tokens of his friendship and brotherly 
concern that do not come under the head of the im- 
mediate help rendered us here. 

May we not also mention, as a memorial, that 
scholar and Christian gentleman, the late Rev. W.R. 
D. Moncure, who baptized us into the fellowship of 
the Leetown Baptist Church, and gave a former man- 
uscript, which we hope to revise and publish some- 
time in the future — the benefit of his mature, broth- 
erly, and we may add, fatherly criticism. We cher- 
ish his memory — that of a pure, guileless, godly 
and saintly minister and man. May his man- 
tle rest and abide on us who remain in the church 
militant ! 

The work now passes from the hands of the writ- 
er to the reader, to be treated as he may elect; to be 
the subject of his criticism or utter indifference, ac- 
ceptance or rejection, revision or abandonment as a 
whole. 

We say goodnight, but to those who shall read, a 
cherry good morning, a pleasant day, a happy new 



8 PREFACE. 

year, a prosperous life, a victorious death (if not per- 
mitted to live until the Saviour comes), a triumphant 
entry into heaven, and a blissful eternity ! 

W. J. Hubbard, 

A. D. 1902. MiDDLEWAY, W. Va. 



INTRODUCTION 

BY 

REV. L. E. MILBOURNE. 



I am personally acquanted with the author of 
this volume. In reading the manuscript, I was pro- 
foundly impressed with the relation of the author's 
character to the book. These writings show to us 
the spirit of the man who wrote them. His life of 
faith in the Son of God, as the only Saviour and 
Lord, is apparent on every page. The deep longing 
of his soul for a return, on the part of the church of 
God, to the spirit and ways of the first Christians, is 
inbreathed into the heart-searching and heart-mov- 
ing words of the writer. It is an awakening book, a 
book that moves the mind mightily toward God, and 
inspires and encourages the servant of God in his 
work of love for Him who died for us. 

Great subjects are presented to the mind of the 
reader, and all of them have received plain scriptural 
treatment by the author, and his conclusions are the 
result of a faithful comparison of Scripture with Scrip- 
ture, where truth is unfolded to the author's mind — 
as he believes — by the Holy Spirit. 

The writer is persuaded that the church of God 
needs a revival, heaven-born and heaven-sent, which 
will change many of our present methods in conduct- 



10 

ing our Lord's work, and restore the primitive order, 
the only order established by the head of the church, 
and the one that should be strictly and universally 
followed. The Bible that shows man how to come to 
God; the eternal Father, the affectionate giver of all 
good; the Christ, who alone has salvation; the Holy 
Spirit, the revealer of truth that saves, and His use of 
the regenerate who obey God in carrying forward 
their Lord's soul-saving work, preparatory to His 
second coming, are all discussed in a pleasing and 
profitable manner. 

The churches are kindly rebuked for their world- 
liness and exhorted in love to direct properly their en- 
ergies, so as to secure the presence and power of the 
Holy Spirit unto the performance of I he church's 
greatest duty — witnessing unto Christ throughout the 
whole world. 

I know the book will amply repay anyone who 
will thoughtfully perus<^ it, and I feel that the writ- 
ing of it will add a bright star to the author's crown 
of eternal rejoicing. 

L. R. MiLBOURNE, 

Charlestown, W. Va. 



INTRODUCTION 

BY 
THE AUTHOR. 



We take it for granted that the different denom- 
inations want to teach us the will of God. The}' 
must all clamor for the first place, entitling them to 
recognition, as the 

Real 
successors to the Apostles. But in truth, are they 
doing it ? 

Men are man-taught, self-taught, devil taught or 
Goii taught. All of the different denominations pro- 
fess to be God-taught and -led. No man can lead an- 
other Godward and teach him His will who has not 
himself been God-taught and -led. Paul said, ''For I 
received of the Lord that which also I have delivered 
unto 3'ou," 1 Cor. 2: 23; 15: 3. A man's religion — 
his teaching of it to others should not 

Mirror 
his thoughts, feelings and wishes, but God's. And, 
more, he should not get it second-handed, rior his 
preaching to or teaching others, for it all should come 
first-handed — from headquarters — from God, Gal. 1 : 
12; Rom. 2 : 33 36; 1 Cor. 2 : 6 16. 

Two of God's great truths are 
Love aud Unity, 



12 INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 

Col. 3 : 13, 14, 15, and we set them opposite to that 
which we have seen and heard all of our lives, — 
denomi nationalism. 

Then, in selecting the title, ''Taught the Will of 
God", for the thoughts which follow, it may not be 
out of place to say, that in this day of so many 
teachers claiming authority, of so many diverse 
doctrines, it is necessary, perhaps, more than ever 
before, to give emphasis to what should be taught 
and who should teach it, to discriminate between 
mere human opinions and dogmas and the teaching 
of the Holy Spirit; for it is the writer's belief, that 
not the word of God, but mere human preference, 
teaching and interpretation, have 

Separated 
the people of God. 

It is a herculean task, a gigantic undertaking to 
read, analj^ze, criticise, and harmonize all the differ- 
ent creeds and beliefs in the world, which men have 
made, and require others to believe and subscribe to 
as a confession of faith. It cannot be done, and if it 
could be, it is not at all necessary that one should do 
it, for what right have they to impose their views up- 
on you ? Not any more than you have to impose 
yours upon them. The following quotation from a 
very recent article, is to the point here: ''During her 
reign. Queen Mary burned heretics at the rate of about 
ten per month. Were these bad men? Not at all, on the 
contrary, they were eminent in intelligence and 
character. What, then, was their offence ? It was 
their unwillingness to lie — to subscribe to opinions 
which they did not hold. Salvation was being knock- 
ed off, as in an auction, at the price of an opinion 
professed. 'Whosoever believeth may in him have 



INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 13 

eternal life,' but that 'believeth' means the betroth- 
al of one' soul to Christ. .Concurrence in a creed not 
self-wrought has the virtue of a marriage wiihuot 
love, A creed is simply the expansive view one gets 
upon the mountain-top after the long and tedious 
climb. That ascent has to be made by each man for 
himself. Every creed is labelled, 'not transferable.' " 

It is estimated that there are one thousand or 
more religions and sects in the world — there being 
more than fifty religious denominations in the United 
States. 

A person may very well, then, ask the questions 
implied in the title of this book, Taught — what and 
by whom ? 

If one gets away from the Bible, and the Holy Spir 
it — the unfolder of the Bible — an interrogation point 
stares him in the face whichever way he may turn — 
over a thousand religions and sects ! He is soon aware 
of the fact, if he is willing to listen, that he may be 
taught most any and everything, outside of the truth, 
he may desire to hear ! And in addition to all these 
are the scientist, evolutionist, agnostic, infidel, etc., 
until one, if he has a mind to do it, may always be 
hearing or telling some new and strange thing. Acts 
17 : 21. What a labyrinth of confusion, a babel of 
babbling, a maze of belief, or rather unbelief, into 
which all these have led and do lead ! 

But if denominationalism were right, it is logical 
and proper to multiply denominations ad infinUnm. 
No one who advocates them can deny it, and must, 
to be consistent, welcome every 

New 
one to the already large number of the sisterhood of 
humanly organized, distinct and independent de- 



^4 1K7E0DUCT10N BY THE AUTHOE. 

nominations ! But to the Bible Christian there is but 
one body, one faith, one Lord, one baptism, 
Ephe. 4 : 4, 5, 6; see the first 17 verses of the chap- 
ter, and 1 Cor. 8:6. 

If we did noi hold to the oneness of the church as 
we do we could not 

Call 
for the unity of all believers; holding to it as we do 
we cannot consistently do otherwise than to call to 
them to unite ! Not on any platform or system of doc- 
trines that man may lay down, but meet without re- 
striction, dictation or human interference whatever, 
seeking the unity of the Spirit, accepting His guid- 
ance and His exposition of God's truth. 

Herein all may and should unite. This is not ad- 
ding to God's word by requiring what Gcd has not 
commanded, nor demanding more that He has com- 
manded. The fact is, this is the very thing we are try - 
ing to avoid — human commands, compulsions, substi- 
tuted for the Lord's commandments. Herein is pro- 
posed freedom of thought and voluntariness of action. 
It is the freedom of Christ, the Truth, the Emancipate r 
of man from spiritual ignorance and Satanic bondage, 
and man-made and -taught theology, John 8 : 32; 
Luke 4 : 18; Gal. 5:1. It is a direct and specific 

Attempt 
at the fulfilling of the Scriptures, the whole New Tes- 
tament Scriptures and the prophecies of the Old Tes- 
tament Scriptures (Gen. 12 : 3; etc.) — "That ye may 
with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. 15 : 6; Phil. 
4: 2; Cor. 1:10. "Let this mind" (referring to the 
proceeding verse) "be in you which was also in Christ 
Jesus," PhiL 2 : 5; John 10 : 16; 17 : 11, 21, 22, 23. 



INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 15 

Again, the Saviour says, "a new commandment 
I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I 
have loved you, that ye also love one another." By 
this (love for one another) "shall all men know that 
ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another," 
John 13 : 31, 35. This is the mind that was in Christ 
Jesus, and should be in His followers. Another 
verse; "only let your conversation be as becometh the 
gospel of Christ, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with 
cne mind. 

Striving Together 
for the faith of the gospel, Phil. 1 : 27. Finally, "Ful- 
fil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same 
love, being of one accord, of one mind," Phil. 2 : 2. 
And so a multitude of similar Scriptures, bat we get 
the following from those already given, unity of 
heart, unity of confession, unity of purpose, unity of 
effort, unity of faith, unity of believers, unity of love 
and love as brethren — Christ's confirmation, when 
we meet the requirements of His gospel, must follow 
His affirmation, "By this shall all men know that ye 
are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." 
Herein is the consummation of unity, and upon the 
basis of it, founded upon God's word, "noted in the 
Scripture of truth," Dan. 10 : 21, we say to every be- 
liever of it, in the words of Jehu to Jehonadab, "Is 
thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart ? And 
Jehonadab answered, it is. If it be, give me thine 
hand. And he gave him his hand; and betook him 
up to him into the chariot. And he said, come 
with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made 
him ride in his chariot," 2 Kings, 10: 15, 16. Here are 
the ground and bond of union — the 

Right Heart and Extended Hand, 



16 INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 

union in word, union in heart, union in action. We 
believe in it, advocate it, commend it, and request 
every man whose heart is right with our heart to 
come with us and let us join hands, and unitedly ex- 
press our belief, and praise and glorify God together. 

The sweet cadences are borne to us from afar, 
falling from the lips of the tender and beloved John, 
in his second and third epistles, expressing deep in- 
terest in his spiritual children and great joy at their 
upright and circumspect walk according to the gos- 
pel. ''I rejoiced greatly that I found all of thy chil- 
dren walking in truth, as we have received a com- 
mandment from the Father," 2 John,l: 4. And, "I have 
no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in 
truth," 3 John, 4. It should make our hearts, to-day, 
bound with unmixed and undisguised joy to see God's 
people united — walking in the truth "as we have re- 
ceived a commandment from the Father." 

We are bold to assert that there is not a 

Minister 
in all Christendom, of any denomination, it matters 
not how learned and well-qualified he may be, who 
can justify, to say nothing of proving from the Scrip- 
tures, the divine right of separate denominations to 
exist. They do not exist in the word of God and are, 
as we have seen from its plain and simple teaching, 
foreign to the spirit and letter of it. 

We know that men give their reasons for the ex- 
istence of denominationalism, and excuse themselves 
for standing aloof from others, and, perhaps, try to 
shift the responsibility, as did Adam upon Eve for eat- 
ing the forbidden fruit, upon the conduct of others, 
of being and remaining apart from their fellow-Chris- 
tians, while it stands out a naked, undeniable, inde- 



INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 17 

structible, and warning fact, staring ns in the face, it 
matters not whicli way we go, that there is not one 
iota of Scripture upon which they are 

Standing! 
Men caanot side-track the truth and ignore the facts, 
by saying, O, yes, if we will come over to you, etc. 
We cannot flippantly dispose of an invitation God- 
given and obligatory, and arbitrarily act in regard to 
it and not be blameworthy, for we are faced by a sad 
condition — a divided church, out of which grows a cry- 
ing need, a living 

Issue, 
which will not down, that demands attention, and 
cries for immediate explanation, solution, and vindi- 
cation at our hands. We nmst confront it, and dis- 
pose of it as men — Christian men and Christian wo- 
men. If we, any one of us, are standing in God's way 
of uniting His people it is our duty to, and we must, 
get out of His way, for it is His purpose expressed in 
prayer (John, chap. 17) to perfect them in unity of 
the faith of the gospel. 

We ask the question, "who is on the Lord's side" ? 
Ex. 32 : 26. The circumstances are significant, for 
which see the entire chapter. God's people should 

Stand 
together ! 

How urgent, then, should be our entreaty, as we 
love the truth as revealed to us by God in the Holy 
Scriptures, to every man and woman, boy and girl, 
of "every tribe and nation" on this "terrestrial ball," 
who make a profession of faith in Christ Jesus as 
their Saviour and Lord, to clasp the hand of his 
brother-man, of the "common faith," Titus, 1: 4, and 
partakers and heirs of the "common salvation," Jude, 



18 INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 

3, in one great united brotherhood, 1 Pet. 2: 17, of all 
the believers throughout universal Christendom ! 
Then we will have the one, true, universal catholic 
church, but not until then. 

Who will set himself to the task to help bring 
about this union — the establishment of the one church 
of Jesus Christ on the earth ? 

Paul said, "I am set for the de^'cDce of the gos- 
pel," Phil. 1: 17, and he rebuked Peter for his blame- 
worthy conduct at Auiioch, Gal. 2 : 11 IG, and Jude, 
the third verse, exhorts us to "earnestly contend for 
the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." 

This book is a 

Protest 
against innovations and an invitation to return to 
first principles, to Bible teaching and apostolic sim- 
plicity and practice. Will you heed it? Will you 
ask yourself the question, did I join the church of 
which I am a member because my parents belonged 
to it, or because it was apostolic in doctrines and 
practice ? Why am I a mt-mber of it ? From convic- 
tion of the truthfulness and fidelity of its teaching, 
or from pure sentiment and natui'al conditions — 
brought up this way, etc. — which ? Which one of 
these contains the motive which should prompt us in 
church-joining — the one containing the natural or 
super-natural cause — the human reasons or the de- 
vine ones — man's or God's way in seeking church- 
membership — fellowship among the people of God ? 
In conversation at the dinner- table three or four 
years ago, with a minister of the Holiness movement, 
who has since departed this life, the writer said, the 
mistakethat you and your people make is, in trying 
to restore Primitive Methodism (the doctrine of en- 



INrRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 19 

tir^ sanctification as taught by Wesley and in the 
Methodist standards), instead of 

Primitive Christianity. 
While their undertaking may be a laudable one, 
and Methodism may have departed from its own re- 
cognized standards of tlieology, yet the proposed re- 
formation does not date far enough into the past 
ages, and if its advocates should succeed in their ef- 
forts, the cliurch would still need a reformation, and 
so with the reformations under Luther and the other 
reformers. They started out well — radical reformers — 
but they were either diverted from their course — falt- 
ered in their purpose, or were unable to free them- 
selves from the shackles of Rome, which had bounds 
the Christian world largely for the past eight or ten 
or more centuries. It required more than human, 
yea, super-human efforts to free themselves entirely 
from her influence and rid themselves of all of her er- 
roneous doctrines. This they never fully did, nor has 
the Christian world done it since the days of the re- 
formers. It remains to be done. 

There arose almost simultaneously with the re- 
formation denominationalism — the wedge severing 
Christian communities and engendering strife — the 
mother of petty jealousies and malignant and un- 
told hurtful influences. One member suffered and 
the whole body suffered with it, 1 Cor. 12 : 26. 

What might have been the return to the germ 
idea of • 

Christian Communion and Union 
as seen in the life of Jesus, John 13 : 29, and the 
first converts under apostolic preaching, Acts 2 : 44, 
was thus warped from the course it would have tak- 
en, the divinely constructed channel through which 



20 INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 

this current of new life would have naturally flowed, 
and turned it into various and rival denominations, 
thwarting the authority of the Bible from which they 
professed to get their doctrine and inspiration. 

No one can read the history of the reformation and 
the lives of the reformers, without being impressed and 
convinced that it was not the Bible that devided them, 
but views and opinions held outside of the Bible, and 
the simple and natural interpretation of it — forced in- 
terpretations to suit human ideas, instead of human 
ideas conforming to it. 

It was influences other than the Bible that led 
them apart and has kept them apart until this day. 
Let no one dare impeach the Bible and charge it 
with their separation. They parted asunder with- 
out its consent, and their coming together does not 
require the giving up of any Bible doctrine or princi- 
ple, but the relinquishing of human teachings that 
have been incorporated as an essential part of their 
several religious organizations. 

Our Saviour says, '*In vain do they worship me, 
teaching for doctrines the comman Iments of m3n,'* 
Matt. 15: 9. And, again, "For one is your master, 
even Christ, and all ye are brethren," Matt. 23: 8. 

The recognition of the supreme authority of 
Christ and His word, and the eliminating of all that 
He and His word have not commanded are the only 
things necessary to a ivorld-ivide and embracing un- 
ion. 

It is unreasonable to ask for it and expect it on 
other than these principles. On what other grounds 
than these could one p:opose union and expect his 
proposal to be heeded ? Shall he formulate a 

Religion 



INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 21 

of his own and ask people to believe it, subscribe to 
it, and teach it to others? This is what has been 
done. 

The first question to ask such an one is, "By what 
authority doest thou these thii.gs?" Mark 21 : 28. If 
he cannot show his credentials from God as did Jesus, 
to whom this question was addressed, he and his doc- 
trine must be turned away from — rejected and con- 
demned. 

By not heeding the divine warning, "Beware of 
false pro;,hets," etc., Matt. 7 : 15, many strange and 
false doctrines have crept into the church and the 
world, and still influence and sway to-day vast multi- 
tudes of adherents, and many continue to throng the 
broad way of error that leads to death and everlast- 
ing destruction. 

Shall v^e propose a halt and endeavor to suggest 
something practical ? 

May we not say, with almost absolute certainty, 
that Bible unity will not be effected by belligerent 
brethren. It is in the realm of the spiritual and not 
intellectual that the victory of union is to be won. It 
is not a physical or mental victory that is to be gained, 
but wholly spiritual. Not that reason is not on the 
side of union, for it is. It is the hand-maid of the 
Scriptures here as elsewhere, but the natural man 
does not listen to reason so must have his carnal 
mind overcome by grace, Rom. 8 : 7. 

Mohammedanism may win its victories by the 
sword and count its adherents by the millions through 
sheer ph^'sical force, but it is as true of Christianity 
now as when established by its founder, ''For all they 
that take the sword shall perish with the sword," 
Matt. 26 : 52. In fighting the battle for the unity of 



22 INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 

believers, there comes to us through the centuries 
from that Nazarene, without army, baud, pomp, or 
.outward show whatever, who rebuked the two disci- 
ples who wanted to call down fire from heaven, and 
consume a certain city which would not receive Him, 
Luke 9 : 54, "Put up thy sword into the sheath," John 
18: 11. Perhaps these over-zealous brethren of a 
pugilistic nature, may have done more harm by far, 
by (it may be, however, they were well meant) mis- 
directed blows than good. 

Men are slow to accede that others are better in- 
formed than themselves, or have a superior intellect 
to themselves. To yield to their opponents' argu- 
ments and array of facts, might be making conces- 
sion of inferiority of mind, learning or culture, and 
be humiliating to themselves in the eyes of the world 
and a lowering of themselves in the estimation of their 
friends and brethren. Whoever heard of a contro- 
versailist convincing and converting his opponent 
to his views ? If any one ever acknowledged in relig- 
ious debate, the logic and truth of the disputant whom 
he was opposing, we have failed to see or hear of it. 

And, then, again, if one should gain his opponent 
by the strength of his argument and force of his logic 
he might be puffed up by pride, fail to give God the 
glory and "fall into the condemnation of the devil," 
1 Tim. 3: 6. Here, as elsewhere in the kingdom of 
God, the victory is to be won, "not by might" (intel- 
lectual, physical- brute force, human eloquence or 
otherwise) "nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the 
Lord of hosts," Zech 4:6; see Matt. 12:19; Luke 
17:20,21. 

The victory is inwrought in the heart of man by 
the Holy Spirit. It is an inward conflict, fought in 



INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 23 

the inner-life of man, wliere the Holy Spirit over- 
comes, conquers, and slajs selfishness in the individ- 
ual and self is annihilated in the man and the nev^ 
man lives to the honor, praise, and glory of God's 
name. 

Happy is he who has s:one through these strug- 
gles and seen self dethroned and destroyed, and God 
raised up and reigning in his heart in its stead, and, 
then, he can cease saying, "Not so Lord; for I have 
never eaten anything common or unclean," Acts 10: 
14, and go where the Lord sends him, and do what 
God commands of him. What a 

Glorious Victory 
shall have heen won and a great stride taken, when 
self shall hcive been expelled from the man's heart 
and ejected from his life, until it is no longer a detri- 
ment to his loving his neighbor as he loves himself, 
and God enthroned instead, toward the consummation 
and perfection of His plans in the unification of His 
children on the whole earth, in view of their ultimate 
oneness with their Lord and Master in glory ! 

O my souL welcome anything from His hand that 
shall hasten the union of His people, the confirmation 
of the gospel, and His own speedy coming to earth 
again in glory and exaltation ! Jesus did not argue, 
but prayed for the unity of believers, and asserted it 
as an effect following in the wake of His death. 
*And I, and if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw 
all man unto me," John 12 : 32. The religion of Jesas 
is not a state religion, and gets not its power from the 
state but another world, John 18: 36. 

Let it be understood, then, that concessions are 
not to be made only as men may make them on their 
own free will. Voluntariness is the keynote to Scrip- 



24 INfRODUCTtON BY THE AUTHOR. 

tural union; compulsion, over-persuasion, hereditary 
tendencies and inclinations therefrom, family ties, 
domestic, social, business and political relations, as 
influences shaping one's course in the matter of unity, 
have no place, and are to be deprecatf^d, avoided, and 
by the grace of God wholly discarded as unworthy 
motives in so holy an alliance. The individual, act- 
ing upon his own convictions, independent of the 
believing, feelings, and preferences of others, is to 
act foi" himself, as if he were the only conscious, in- 
telligent, sentient, and responsible being in the world I 
Man must act for himself or be culpable in the Lord's 
sight. He cannot believe and be religious and con- 
form to a creed which he has not made his own and 
escape blame and accountability at the judgment 
seat of Christ. A man cannot serve God by 

Proxy 
and be exonerated from his individual interest in 
what he believes and why he believes it. He must 
know what he believes as well as in whom he believes. 
Both are alike — vitally important in the economy 
of God. 

O for independent, spontaneous action of all 
Christians in the kingdom of God, of whatever name, 
wherever found ! Just this — and this alone — will 
bring union ! When believers start to thinking and 
acting for themselves and refusing to allow others to 
think and act for them, there will be a stir through- 
out Zion so general and mighty than an Exodus will 
be instituted and heralded abroad, and God's people 
will march out of Church-bondage, with a majestic 
tread that will shake and jar until it— denoraination- 
alism — shall tottle and fall into a 

United Christianity 



INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR. 25 

that will swell and vibrate with jubilant hallelujahs 
that shall fill the earth with praise, startle the devil, 
confound infidelity, and enthrone Christ among men. 

Ah, but we hear you say, all this will destroy 
denominationalism ! Yes, it will up-root every plant, 
Matt. 15 : 13, demolish every wall, remove every par- 
tition, level every distinction that is human and 
God's work alone will remain, as wrought through 
men according to His instructions and leadings — the 
divine pattern. There are manifest signs of this 
time coming, men are throwing off the yoke of hu- 
man bondage and turning toward God and yearning 
for the day when, not what Doctors, Bishops, Cardi- 
nals, Popes, Creeds, Confessions of Faith, Disciplines, 
Prayer-books, etc , say, but what does God say in His 
word, and how does regenerate man respond to it ? 

The reaction has begun and the end is not yet — 
not until every vestige of these which have usurped 
authority are destroyed. 

We plead for the destruction of anything, name 
or what not, that separates Christians and makes 
them love one another less ! 

Ah, we do see the glorious day dawning, and the 
Age Appearing 
of the reign of the Christ ! The Holy Spirit is prepar- 
ing for it, and hearts inbreathed by His presence and 
partakers of His nature desire and long for it. 

It must come; it is prophesied; it is the logical 
sequence of the gospel teaching, Ephes. 1 : 10; it is the 

Must 
of the gospel, 1 Cor. 15 : 25; it cannot be otherwise but 
that it come ! It is coming — hail blessed hour, hail 
united Christendom, all hail the Christ and the child- 
ren whom God has given Him ! Heb. 2 : 13, Amen. 



THE CHURCH. 



For a number of years past it had been evident 
to our mind that the church of which we were a 
member was not a 

New Testament Church. 
The multiplicity of churches around us made it diffi- 
cult for us to decide which (if any) was a New Testa- 
ment Church. The agitation of our mind was followed 
by an investigation of what constitutes a New Testa- 
ment Church — a living church as planted by our 
blessed Redeemer. The conlusion was — if no such 
church exists, then build it out of Bible material. 

Dominated by this conviction we began to look 
around us for the church or churches corresponding 
to Bible teaching. Not finding any of the churches 
perfectly satisfactory, we remained in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, South, of which we were a mem- 
ber and minister, at the beginning of the investiga- 
tion. 

In the winter of 1898 (12th of Feb.) it was dis- 
tinctly impressed upon us to establish the church. 

This occured in Middleway, while still a member 
and minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South, when holding the A^early revival. 

God graciously blessed and wonderfully led us 
and so mightily were we moved that we ventured to 



THE CHURCH. 27 

suffgest to one of tbe members * of the Methodist 
church here, that we establish 

A Church 
according to tbe divine pattern. To our surprise, he 
seemed to be utterly unprepared for our proposition — 
it never having dav^ned upon him that the Methodist 
Church was not the New Testament Church. He at 
once remonstrated with us — wanting to know how 
we would support our family if we engaged in such 
an undertaking. 

He is not the only one who looked upon the pro- 
ject as foolhardiness; even ministers wanted to know 
where the rations were to come from for wife and 
cliildren. Their question shows a disregard for 
the very truths they are professing and proclaiming. 

One of these ministers preached in our hearing 
on, ''The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; 
tbe world, and they that dwell therein : for He 
has formed it upon the seas, and established it upon 
the floods," Ps. 24: 1,, 2. 

Such faith as they manifested is so far removed 
from the Bible — who can wonder at so-called Chris- 
tians arid churches having lost their prestige ! 

God withdrew and withheld our sympathies from 
them until we realized that we had no place among 
them — that we were not one of them, the chasm be- 
tween us in belief and practice was widening and 

^Let me say in regard to this brother, thut he has been among my best 
friends since my coming here. In many ways be has befriended me. 
When I had typhoid fever no one gave me more attention or exerted him- 
self more constantly and willingly in my behalf than did he. And, then, 
when I have owed him money from time to time he has never hurried me 
for it — in fact, never as much as .'^sked me for it, always waiting my con- 
venience in the matter It gives me pleasure here thus to publicly ac- 
knowledge his friendship and uniform courtesy. 



28 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

deepening until in life and doctrine we were totally 
separated from tliein. 

What was truly eftt^cted Spiritually was formally 
accomplished by our withdrawal from among them 
on the 28th of May, 1899. M> body was taken whith- 
er my heart had gone — to the teaching of the N'ew 
Testament. 

Thus we wei-e left without any church affiliation. 

Prior to our withdrawal from the Methodist 
Church, we had written a large amount of manu- 
script, expressive of our convictions on Bible doc- 
trines — embracing primitive baptism, how performed, 
subjects of baptism, church polity, etc., which we 
submitted to the late Rev. W. R. D. Moncure, who, 
after careful perusal, declared we were a Baptist in 
every thing but name. 

It only remained for us to publicly put on Christ 
in baptism, which we did, beiag buried with Christ 
in baptism, by brother Moncure, after having been 
received by the Leetown Baptist Church for the same, 
on the 6th of August, 1899. 

Of one thing we were convinced, that a Baptist 
Church, in theory, is a New Testament Church. And 
certainly what is right in theory, if not right in prac- 
tice, may become so, but not vice versa. 

This makes withdrawal from a New Testament 
Church in realicy a moral impossibility. Such a 
thing could only be a formality. 

Baptists are not made or moulded in creeds of 
man's invention or fettered by human traditione. 
They stand alune, like some solitary mountain peak, 
lifting itself far above the surrounding mountains, 
upon the teaching of the revealed will and word of 
God. If they are anything — they are the product of 



THE CHURCH. 29 

the Scriptures, and if not that, a miserable counterfeit 
and failure, and of all men the most hypocritical or 
self-deluded. 

And the church composed of men of God's own 
choosing must be, inevitably, men of pure hearts and 
holy lives. Such is a church of regenerate believers. 

Of no other church do v^e read in the Holy Scrip- 
tures. This is the divine ideal of a ISTew Testament 
Church — composed of baptized believers. No 

Other Church 
has Scriptural v^arrant or authority. They, who pre- 
sume to violate this principal, are doomed to ruin and 
destruction. *'0f such," it cannot be said, ^*is the 
kingdom of heaven," Matt. 19 : 14. 

The law of obedience demands a complete sur- 
render. "If any man," says the Saviour, "will come 
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, 
and follow me," Matt. 16 : 24. They, if they refuse to 
be led, are none of His. 

"Follow Me" 
is the gospel in miniature. "My sheep," Jesus tells 
us, hear His voice, and the voice of a stranger they 
will not follow, John 10 : 5, 14. They recognize Him 
and are recognized by Him. He is the head of which 
they are the body — His bride, the Church. 

This is the perfection of oneness for which the 
Saviour prayed, which He declared, and for which 
He died, John, 17 : 11; 10 :16; 11 : 52. 

No other conception of Christian unity is worthy 
of God or in accord with His word. He who became 
brother to the race would have 

Ali Men 
to be brothers. This can be accomplished alone by 
adoption into the one family in heaven and on earth. 



30 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. ^ **">'?; 

united, like the seamless garment of Christ, '-woven 
from the top throughout" (John 19 : 23); the unity he- 
ginning in heaven aaJ completed on earth, is a ful- 
fillment of the Lord's petition, "thy kingdom come, 
thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," Matt. 6 : 
10. 

The denominationalism of to day is utterly at 
variance with this unity. 

The unity of heart and soul which God requires 
is death to denominationalism. It cannot survive in 
the presence of this union. 

The Spiritual oneness of God's people settles for- 
ever the question of organic union. When they are 
one, unitedly so, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 
are one, there will be no cause for controversy and 
division. That we may be so is clearly proven from 
the fact that we are made of one blood — as distinctly 
one as the persons of divinity, Eplies. 4 : 3-6; Acts 
17 : 26. We are distinctly one in Christian experience. 
Gal. 3 : 28. There is no material difference between 
our experience as an American and that of a China- 
man. "There is no difference between the Jew and 
the Greek: : for the same Lord over all is rich unto all 
that call upon him." "For whosoever" (it matters 
not what race, tribe, nationality, or color, or what 
not) "shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be 
saved," Eom. 10 : 12, 13. "God is no respecter of per- 
sons," Acts 10 : 34. 

The regenerate are born of God — of incorruptible 
seed which liveth and abideth forever, John 1 : 13; 

1 Pet. 1 : 23, and are partakers of the divine nature 

2 Pet. 1:4. 

There are moral affinity and Spiritual consanguini- 
ty existing between and inherent in them. They are 



THE CHURCH. 31 

gathered together in one, Ephes. 1 : 10 They sit 
down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the king- 
dom of God, Matt. 8 : 11. They are one new man in 
Christ Jesus, Ephes. 2 : 25. They are a Chi istian com- 
munity, Acts 2 : 44. They are distinct and separate 
from the world. Acts 4 : 23-35; 6 : 1, 5; 15 : 4; 1 Thess. 
4:11, 12; 1 Cor. 7 : 10-17; 2 Cor. 6 : 14-18; Gal. 2 : 1, 4, 
11, 12. (The Catpcombs at Rome). 

Theirs is the land of Goshen, Gen. 47 : 6. They 
operate from within outward, Acts 4 : 23-31; Acts 13 : 
1-4; Gal. 2 : 8, 9; Acts 15 : 14-17. Jehoshaphat is not 
to join himself to Ahab, 2 Chron. 19: 2. God's people 
are to fight His battles alone. 

Nothing but evil resulted from the affinities 
formed by Solomon and Jehoshaphat. 

The alliance of the churches with the world has 
brought disaster and defeat. 

Nothing but speedy and irrevocable separation 
from it can save them. 

The temptation held out by heathen Rome allured 
it within its grasp, and prepared the way for Papal 
Rome I Montanism was a protest against the 

Ungodly Wedlock 
of Christ's Church with the world ! So great was the 
calamity that then overtook it that it has not recov- 
ered from it from tliat day to this ! This was the 
beginning of the dissolution of the priesthood of be- 
lievers, 1 Pet. 2 : 9, established by Christ and adhered 
to by His apostles, and the entrance upon a system of 
hierarchical ecclesiasticism — Romanism. 

Romanism and the Bible. 
The return of the people of God to the simplicity of 
the gospel of Christ is the salvation of the church 
and the hope of the world. 



32 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

Uncompromising devotion to Bible teaching and 
principals will save them from, what it has shown 
itself to be, an almost universal apostacy. Its bane- 
ful effects have been felt in ever}^ branch of Protes- 
tantism. No refomation has ever fully recovered the, 
people from it. They have borrowed from and en- 
grafted in their organizations many of its pernicious 
doctrines. Those who have come forth, are still 
wrapt in its shroud, shackled by its traditions, and 
bound head and foot in its formalism. The grave 
from which they came is still open, and the coffin in 
which they were buried intact, awaiting the inter- 
ment of their errors. Tliese should have remained in 
the tomb, when they came forth to new hopes and a 
better resurrection. 

The death knell of Romanism is entire separation 
from her. So long as some of the great bodies of Prot- 
estants must rely solely upon hor for the support 
and vindication of their favorite theories, she may 
well feel herself securely established. 

Infant DapUstn and Affussion, 
No standard scholar, of recognized authority in the 
world of letters, has undertaken to show, unaided by 
tradition, that Infant Baptism is taught in the Holy 
Scriptures, or that sprinkling and pouring were ever 
divinely sanctioned as forms of baptism. They must 
fall back upon her for their authority. This authori- 
ty she consistently claims, as she has recourse to the 
dogma of infallibility as a subterfuge for her altera- 
tions and additions; and they (Protestants) inconsist- 
ently accept, and follow what she authorizes. Pro- 
fessedly the one acknowledges the church as supreme 
authority in all that pertains to discipline, life, and 
doctrine, while the other adheres to the Bible, with- 



THE CHURCH. 3 3 

out note or comment, as the guide to faith and prac- 
tice. 

The Church arrayed against the Bible. 

Here we have the church, so-called, arrayed on 
the one side, and the Bible on the other, and many 
great bodies of Protestants giving credence to the 
church in preference to the Bible. It is evident to 
all, that if there were no historical church, outside of 
the Scriptures, that there would be no Infant Bap- 
tism, or sprinkling and pouring as modes of baptism. 
This plainly shows to all the origin and authority for 
Infant Baptism or sprinkling and pouring as modes 
of baptism. 

It also plainly shows the groundlessness of those, 
who take the Bible as their rule of conduct, in claim- 
ing to show precepts and examples in the Scriptures, 
jutifying their practices. 

To be manly is to reject Rome in her entirety and 
launch out upon the Holy Scriptures. They and 
Rome are not both equally entitled to supremacy ! 

There are many who loudly denounce Rome, not- 
withstanding they make her share with the Scriptures 
the honor of having originated more than one of the 
doctrines which they practice- They can point to no 
other source than her for the command and example. 

Nowhere else do they find the command to bap- 
tize children or pour water upon adults Both are of 
her creations and the larger portion of Protestants 
have seized upon them as a common heritage. "Hon- 
or to whom honor" is due (Rom. 13 : 7). Do not 

Charge 
these doctrines to the Bible. 

To Rome they are due — and let her have the cred- 
it of them. Do not treat her with injustice by giving 
s 



34 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

to the Bible that which does not rightly belong to it, 
but truly does belong to her! Show no partiality in 
treatment of friend or foe. Both are entitled to fair 
dealing and thorough integrity ! 

Many errors and much confusion rnay be avoided 
here, by 

A Clear Distinction 
between the church of Rome and the word of God. 

We say the church of Rome (instead of the Greek 
church, which is as old and, perhaps, older) because 
our conflict is mainly with her. 

She is in our midst and our contention is more 
especially with her. Her 

Great Strength 
is in her unity; the weakness of Protestantism is in 
its division. She moves en masse — in a solid phalanx ; 
Protestantism, in divisions. One is a mighty army; 
the other companies. The one operates from a com- 
mon centre; tlie other from everywhere. The efforts 
of the one are systematic; of the other, spasmodic. 

The work of the reformer of to-day is to 

Unite 
all the people of God. To bring them together in a 
common brotherhood. To proclaim their equality 
and commonality. To show how to reconcile differ- 
ences, to overcome difficulties, and remove obstacles. 
To announce the almost practically forgotten doc- 
trine of being led by the Spirit, Rom. 8 : 14. To show 
that the Spirit presides over the Church as in the days 
of yore. To show that the Church is a congregation 
of Spirit-born, Spirit-taught, Spirit-filled, and Spirit- 
led men. To show that the infallibility of the church 
is in Him who presides over it — in God, and in its 
members only as He imparts it to them, Acts 15 : 28, 



THE CHURCH. 35 

In this sense God's people ar infallible — to the extent 
of His dwelling in them and speaking through them, 
Is. 54 : 13; Jer. 31 : 34; Mic. 4 : 2; Matt. 10 : 20; John 6 : 
45; 16 : 13; Heb. 8 ; 10; 10 : 16. 

It is the voice of God in them. They speak His 
thoughts and do His will. This is the only 

Bible Orthodoxy, 

The subscribing to a human creed is not worth 
the paper upon which it is written, it matters not the 
importance ics adherents may attach to it. 

The formulating of human creeds has often re- 
sulted in the exaltation of one doctrine to the detri- 
ment of others. 

This is the source of untold evil to the cause of 
religion. These human productions have too fre- 
quently been the brazen serpent which men have 
worshipped — to the ignoring of God as revealed in 
the Scriptures. The destruction of them, as the 
breaking of the brazen serpent, will be a blessing to 
mankind. The perpetuation of them is the canoniza- 
tion of men. 

The worshipping of relics, the erecting of monu- 
ments, the memorialization of the dead, the sanctity 
of an officiating priesthood, taken from the living, 
yet as distinct from the laity, are foreign to the word 
of God, — and savors strongly of the "natural man," 
(1 Cor. 2 : 14)— of "total depravity." 

It would have been better for us had all thes(5 
things been buried in some unknown spot, and like 
Moses' grave, remained unknown to us unto this very- 
day. 

Let us solemnly commit to the dust and oblivion, 
these perishable documents of man's fabrication, and 
cling to the cross of Him, who hath given us a king- 



36 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

dom that can never be shaken, Heb. 12 : 28. 

The True Church. 

The church or churches born out of wedlock — of 
unholy alliances of man's creation— are excluded 
from the Father's presence, like (as was) Abraham's 
son by Hagar, Gal. 4 : 30. 

It is the bastard son that mocks and laughs at 
the birthday of the true one. Gen. 21 : 9. 

He persecutes and tries to destoy the elect one, 
as Herod did, by destroying the babes of Bethlehem, 
Matt. 2 : 16. 

The preservation of the holy seed is the providen- 
tial working of God in the midst of the whole earth, 
Is. 6 : 13. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my 
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts," Zech. 4 : 6. 

It is God that saves them from extinction. His 
providence is no less a miracle than His grace — and 
grace is more strikingly so than creation, Kom. 8 : 32. 
"T'was mighty to create, but mightier to redeem." 
In the ethics of religion, in the economy of grace, the 
spiritual is given priority and superiority over the 
bodily — the latter the compliment and concomitant 
of the former, Deut. 28 : 1-14; Ps. 37 : 25; Matt. 5 : 5; 
6 : 24-34; Luke 18 : 29, 30, and many, many more sim- 
ilar Scriptures, but these are conclusive, and suffice 
our purpose. 

A Church, then, of the Bible, are God's called — 
The Ekklesia— Called Out- 
God's come-outers. 

They are in the world but not of the world, John 
17 : 14, 15; 18 : 36, a distinct, peculiar, blood-bought 
and, -washed people, — the favorites of God on earth, 
1 John 3:1, and His especial treasure in heaven, Ps. 
4 : 3. They are before His throne and serve Him day 

3^^ 



THE CHURCH. 37 

and night, Rev. 7 : 15, when transported to the realms 
of glor}^ They suffer no more, nor toil Siuy more, hut 
are led out by the rivers of waters and into green pas- 
tures, Rev. 7 : IG, 17. Such in brief is the church of 
time and eternity — the little stone cut out without 
hands (Dan. 2 ; 34), filling the earth and its heights 
leaching the heavens. Through it — the light of the 
world and the salt of the earth (Matt. 5 : 13, 14), the 
knowledge of the Lord is to cover the earth as the 
waters cover the sea, iSTum. 14 : 21; Is. 11:9; Hab. 2 : 
14. This is the child of God's own begetting, against 
whom, it is said, death is unavailing, Matt. 16 : 18. 

It is out of such material that God builds His 
Church — and it is imperishable and indestructible. 

This is the "Rock" — the foundation of God's 
churchly kingdom — the redeemed of earth, shaped 
and moulded in His own image, 1 Pet. 2 : 5, bearing 
the superscription of His own imperial and unap- 
proachable character. 

Of all such it may be said, "Thou art Peter, and 
upon 

This Rock 
I will build my church," Matt. 16 : 18. It is out of 
the redeemed and upon the saved, the Saviour's 
Church is constructed. 

It is divinely built out of human beings— char- 
acter — in them inwrought by God the Holy Spirit. 
They are fashioned by God's hand and become with 
His Son, the ground and pillar of the truth, 1 Cor. 3 : 
11; Ephes. 2 : 20; 1 Tim. 3 : 15; 1 Pet. 2 : 6; Rev. 3:12. 
God and they, are associated together. The two — 
the Lord Jesus and themselves, are identified — their 
work and interest and lives brought together, Matt. 
25 : 40; Acts 9 : 4, 5; 1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1. As they 



38 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOlF. 

Stand with Christ as the ''Rock'' upon which He is 
building, He superintends, superinduces, and owns 
the building, Ephes. 2 : 10; l Cor. 3 : 9; Heb. 3 : 3-6. 

Any other church than this is an alien and stran- 
ger to the commonwealth of Israel, Ephes. 2 : 12. 

Of this church it may be said, however, "Now 
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, 
bat fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
hold of God," Ephes. 2 : 19. In fact, on earth, it is 
the household of God. It is the Saviour's prayer, in 
part, answered, Matt. 6 : 10. 

There is yet a larger and fuller meaning attached 
to the prayer. To the church it may be said, ''There 
remaineth yet very much land to be possessed", Josh. 
13 : 1. The kingdoms of the world are the i^ord's and 
His Christ's, and are to be shared by His people. Matt. 
16 : 19; 19 : 28; John 13 : 8, 9; 20 : 23; Rom. 8 : 17; 1 Cor, 
3 : 21-23; 6 : 3; 15 : 24, 25; 2 Tim. 2 : 12; Rev. 2 : 26, 27; 
5 : 9, 10; 11 : 15; 12 : 10; 14 : 1-8; 18 : 20; 19th Ch.; 20th 
21st, and 22nd chapters, etc. 

The wealth of the world is at their disposal, Ps. 
24 : 1, 2;^97 : 1; Rev. 21 : 7; Is. 60th and 66th chapters; 
Rev. 22 :*24, 25, 26; Mic. 4: 1-4. 

Creation is interwoven with redemption and re- 
demption existed in the mind of God before creation, 
John 1 : 1-3; and 1 : 10, 14; Matt. 13 : 35; Rom. 16 : 25; 
1 Cor. 2 : 7; Gal. 4 : 4; Col. 1 : 6; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Pet. 1 : 
20; Ephes. 1 : 4; Rev. 13 : 8. 

That creation should be the servant of redemp- 
tion is most natural. It is not 

Conceivable 
that man was made for the world but the world for 
man. 



THE CHURCH. 39 

In creation's morn every thing was pronounced 
**very good." 'Twa8 man that FpoiJed and desolated 
a world ! Through him the blighting curse fell on 
nature's perfection, and its traces remain and are 
seen everywhere. The visible universe suffered as a 
consequent of man's fall, 

The World's Recovery and the Devil Vanquished. 

Redemption sees it restored to the place which it 
occupied when man was made in the image of God, 
Is. 11: 4-9; ch. 65; 66 : 22; 17 : 25; 2 Pet. 3 : 13; Rev. ch. 
21. 

The complete abolition of all evil is promised, 
and the wealth of all nations and the riches of all 
lands are foretold as flowing into the church of the 
living God, Is. 60 : 12; 1 John 3 : 8. 

And the prophecy is, that God will no more curse 
the earth, or blast its products, or mar itsfruitfulness, 
Gen. 8: 21; Joel 22: 18-27; Mai. 3 : 11, 12. It shall bring 
forth abundantly, and the ransomed of the Lord shall 
eat and be satisfied and praise the name of their God, 
Ps. 22 : 20; Is. 65 : 13. 

The survival of the righteous is assured in the 
destruction and punishment oC the wicked. Josh. 1 : 
1-9; 3: 10'; Ps. 2 : 6-9; ch. 110; Josh. 5 : 13, 14, 15; Ps. 
ch. 91; Is. 60 : 12; Dan. 2 : 44; Rom. 8 : 31; Heb. 12 : 20- 
29. ' 

Theirs is a land flowing with milk and honey un- 
visited by drought or famine, Ex. 3: 17; Ezek. 36: 29- 
35. Here it is that God inaugurates His 

World=Kingdora. 

Corroding care, tormenting fear, distracting wor- 
ry, no more harass the children of God. 

They dwell alone, Num. 23: 9, and possess the 
gates of their enemies, Gen. 22: 17; 24: 60. This is the 



40 Taught the will. of god. 

truth in theory set forth in the Bible prospectively 
and is to be looked forward to as a practicable and 
positive reality. 

That the church thus dwells in the mind of God? 
and is sharply and definitely marked in the compila- 
tion of Scriptures already given, is plainly seen by 
every thoughtful and intelligent and unprejudiced 
reader; also see Matt. 13: 38 43; Luke 12: 32. It is the 
little stone, filling the earth, a grain of mustard seed, 
becoming the greatest of herbs, the leaven, hid in 
three measures of meal until the whole is leavened, 
the little cloud, the size of a man's hand, covering 
the skies, Dan. 2: 3i; Matt. 13: 31, 33; 1 Kings 18: 44. 

It must be 

Unmistakably Clear 
that forces so antagonistic, at such evident variance 
— as the church of God and the world, Matt. 6: 24, 
and the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness, 
2 Cor. 6: 14, 15, cannot continue indefinitely to occupy 
the same territory, Rom, 16: 29; 1 John 3: 8. 

There may be, for the time being, apparently, a 
commingling of light and darkness, a blending of the 
colors, but the one must manifestly dispel the other. 
That the church is to have absolute and unquestioned 
possession of the world, is given out with no uncer- 
tain sound, John 1: 14; Col. 1: 16, 17; Heb. 1: 2. 

That these things are to transpire on earth, are 
not left in the Bible to peradventure or conjecture. 
Matt. 21 : 33-44; Acts 1: 6, 7; 3 : 21; 15 : 15, 16, 17. 

There is perfect unanimity on this point among 
all the Bible writers. 

There may be pre-millennialists and post-millen- 
nialists, at the present day, yet the 

Subiugation of All Evil 



THE CHURCH. 41 

is a clearly revealed truth from Jehovah's lips, the 
mouth of the Lord has spoken it. Here is to be the 
theatre of action — the conflict, the victory, the tri- 
umph ! Acts 1: 10, 11; Rev. I : 7. Here on earth is, as 
well as in heaven, the kingdom, Matt. 6: 10. 
Christ's Second Coming, or His Coming Again. 
Jesus Christ told and frequently repeated that He 
was coming back to earth again, and His disciples 
caught up the joyful refrain, until it echoed abroad 
throughout every inhabitable land known at that day. 
They never tired of preaching His coming. 

They answered objectors to His coming by re- 
minding them that God did not count time as they 
did, and was actuated by motives, which caused His 
delay, to which they were strangers, 1 Pet. 3: 12; 4: 
20; 5: 7, and all time, all things, all eternity, are His, 
and He uses them all in His people's favor. Is. 54: 17; 
Rom. 8: 28. 

The most adverse circumstance is used by Him 
for His child's good, Gren. 50: 20: Ps. 84: 11. 
Christ has 

Wrested 
this world from its usurper. Matt. 10: 8; 12: 28, 29; 28: 
18, the devil, to whom for a season it was delivered, 
Luke, 4: 6; Acts 17: 30, and while he has been the god 
of this world, 2 Cor. 4: 4, he shall not continue to be, 
for Christ has effected, through His death, the world's 
recovery and his (the devil's) ultimate captivity, John 
12: 31; 16: 11; Ephes. 4: 8-10; 1 Pet. 3: 19; Rev. 20:2,10. 
The influence which he wields, and the sceptre which 
he sways, shall be taken from him, for he is himself 
a captive — a doomed and hopeless prisoner. This he 
recognizes, and entreats his captor not to torment 



42 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

him before his time, Matt. 8: 29; Mark 1: 24; 5: 7; Luke 
4: 34; 10: 17, 18; Acts 16: 16; 19: 15; James 2: 19. 

That he should have power and influence, even 
temporarily, is one of the secrets of Jehovah. His 
v^ord speaks of the mystery of iniquity, Matt. 24 : 12; 
2 Thess. 2: 7; Rev. 17: 5, and the mystery of salvation, 
Mark 4: 11; Eom. 11; 25; 16:25; Ephes. 1: 9; 3: 3-12; 
Col. 2: 2, 3; 1 Tim. 3: 16. 

Both of these mysteries hover about man. He is 
certainly one of the most v^ronderful and unique be- 
ings in all of God's creation, Ps. 139: 13-16; Heb 2: 6, 
7, 8; Gen. 1: 26-28; 2: 7. No other being, of v^hich we 
are told, occupies a similar relation to God and His 
creation. He is the nearest being to God in the whole 
universe. 

Angels, even, are his ministers, Heb, 1: 14. Christ 
took not the nature of angels, 2: 16, but was born of 
woman, born under the law, Gal. 4: 4, in order that 
He might be one of the race, and stand with it in in- 
dissoluble union. Christ is married to man in a 
voluntary union, Is. 62: 4, 5. 

He had rather suffer for him and with him than 
t^ live without him. 

Here is the 

Battle Ground 
of the ages. The devil contended for the body of 
Moses, Jude, 9th verse. Jesus Christ battled for the 
souls and bodies of men. Perhaps no other verse is a 
better epitome of His earthly life than Acts 10: 38,— 
*^How God annointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy 
Ghost and power; v^ho went about doing good, and 
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God 
was v^ith him." He (man) is capable of great joy and 



THE CHURCH. 43 

intense sorrow; of happiness and woe; of reward and 
punishment. 

In no other finite being is there such a blending 
of possibilities and powers. He may be exalted to 
heaven or cast down to hell; developed in God's like- 
ness, or degraded in sin. Here it is the battle rages 
between 

Dual Natures — 
the "old man" which is "earthy" and the "new man" 
which is from heaven, Ephes. 4: 22, 23, 24; 1 Cor. 15: 
45-49. He (man) is the medium between the natural 
and spiritual, between good and evil, between earth 
and heaven, between God and the devil. All forces 

Converge 
here. This is the pivotal point of the universe. Here 
all issues arise, and are to be determined. The bat- 
tle of 

All worlds 
is over man. God spilt His blood for him, gave His 
life for him, Acts 20: 28. 

Who shall have him, who shall have him? — "Unto 
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in 
His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests 
unto God, and His Father, to Him be glory, and do- 
minion for ever and ever. Amen," Rev. 1: 6, 7. "If 
any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be 
Anathema Maranatha. The Lord cometh," 1 Cor. 16: 
22. 

The trophies of this warfare will be the spoils 
taken from the devil. 

Man is 

Sold under Sin, Rom. 7: 14, 
and must have a purchaser.. He sold Himself for 
nought, Is. 52: 3, and is delivered voluntarily by 



44 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

Jesus Christ our Lord, Rom. 7: 25. Jesus Christ de- 
scended into the deep that He might bring man above, 
Rom. 10: 7; John 3: 13; Ephes, 4: 8, 9, 10; 2 Cor. 8: 9. 
He descended to man's level that He might lift him to 
His height. He sounded the depth of human misery, 
Heb. 6: 8, 9. It may not always be morally true, '^to 
the victor belongs the spoils," but it is eminently true 
to Jesus belongs man, Rom. 14: 7, 8, 9; ] Cor. 3: 21; 6: 
19, 20; 1 Pet. 1: 18. 19, 20. He asserts His ownership 
in and protection over the purchased of His own 
blood, John 10: 11-15; Ps. 105: 14, 15; Rom. 8: 31. 

He Himself is the representative of and the head 
of a new race. Col. 1: 18; Acts 26: 23; 1 Cor. 15: 20, 23; 
Rom. 8: 29; Col. 1: 15. He has instituted a new order 
of things and created a 

New 
order of beings. He has made man anew, 2 Cor. 5: 
17; Gal. 6: 15; Ephes. 4: 24; Col. 3: 10; 1 Cor. 3: 1; 
1 Pet. 2: 2; Rev. 21: 5, and horned Him from above, 
John 3: 3, 6; 1 Pet. 1: 23. He has constituted the 
household of faith — the family of God, Gal. 6: 10; 
Ephes. 2: 19; Rom. 8: 14-17; Gal. 4: 4-7. The relation 
here is that of son to God— "Our Father," and broth- 
er to Jesus, "our elder Brother." This kinship, per- 
haps, is one of the astounding mysteries, "which the 
angels desire to look into," 1 Pet. 1: 12. 
Christ's Exaltation of Man. 

These relations, son of God, and brother to 
Jesus, place man in the most exalted position 
of all of God's creatures, 1 Cor. 2:9-12; 13: J2; 
1 John 3: 1, 2. It is not said of any other creature 
but man — "we shall be like Him." There is nothing 
to which to aspire beyond this. This invests man with 
the greatest present dignity and the uttermost future 



THE CHURCH. 45 

glory. There is not any goodness, greatness, loveliness, 
or lovableness, or any thing that one can desire that is 
not comprehended in this — ''we shall be like Him." 

That is faulty theology — 'L want to be an angel." 
"I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness," 
Ps. 17: 15. 

There is nothing in fact or fancy, prose or poetry, 
history or fiction, art or nature, earth or heaven, as- 
sociated with man as a characteristic, faculty, or at- 
tribute, that does not find its completion and perfec- 
tion here. 

Jesus Christ is the bread and water of man's life 

— the very elements of his existence, Luke 22: 19, 20; 
John 6: 48-58; 1 Cor. 11: 23-26. As man would 

Literally Starve 
without food — bread and water — or their equivalents, 
so he is in his natural state, spiritually dead, and 
must remain so forever unless his soul feeds upon 
Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. It is plainly 
taught that Christ is as indispensable to the soul of 
man as food is to his body. The sustenance of his 
spiritual powers is by partaking of Christ in his soul 
as the unfailing supply of his life, as he partakes of 
food daily for the supplying of his bodily powers. 

The fact is, here as elsewhere, the spiritual has the 

Pre=eminence 
over the temporal — the soul-life, over the physical, 
Deut. 8: 3, 4; 29: 5; 34: 7; Josh. 14: 11; Neh. 9: 21; Ps. 
105: 37; Ex. 34: 28; Deut. 9: 9; 18; 1 Kings, 19: 8; Is. 40: 
28-31; Matt. 4: 2, 3, 4. Perhaps, what there is in di- 
vine healing is found here. Disease and death are 
coupled with sin, Rom. 5: 12. Sin is the parent and 
these are the offspring. The healing of diseases may 
be instantaneous, as in the ministry of Jesus; or grad- 



46 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

ual, by the removing from time to time the cause of 
disease — sin. 

Whether the healing of disease is instantaneous 
or gradual may depend very largely upon one's 

Appropriation of Christ 
as his healer. To the two blind men He said, "Ac- 
cording to your faith be it unto you," Matt. 9: 29. 
They v^ere immediately healed. To others, He re- 
quired their going to the priests, obeying the form 
prescribed by the law, Matt. 8: 4: Luke 17: 14. In the 
latter case, Jesus demands compliance writh existing 
law. The violation, on our part, of some natural or 
moral law may be the cause of our being diseased. 
In such a case God may first require of us conformity 
to the physical and spiritual laws that govern our be- 
ing. In this way the obstacle is removed out of the 
way of one's healing. God condescends to show us 
(diagnose and prescribe) what are the difficulties in 
the way of our having good health. It may be we 
are indulging in the use of some article used as a 
food, for example, hog meat or coffee, that is posi- 
tively injurious to our bodies, or that we are victims 
of some hurtful and pernicious habit, as the using of 
tobacco, drinking intoxicants, that stands in the way 
of our bodily comfort and welfare, and between us 
and God — our Healer. 

Anything that 

Keeps 
God out of our hearts and from exerting His influence 
and power over our lives is damaging to our bodies. 

Any one who does not, for any reason, get the 
proper amount of the right kind of food, prepared 
in the proper way, and at the proper time, suffers 
physically for the lack of the needed nutriment to 



THE CHUKCH. 47 

supply the demands of his very being — his life-forces. 
We can readily see how any being, as man, over 
v^hom the spiritual has the 

Pre=eminence 
instead of the bodily, will languish, if the presence of 
God is hindered or interferred with in his inner or 
soul-life. 

Those who are depending upon God for the life 
that now is and for that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4: 8, 
esteem His presence and favor more essential than, 
their daily food, Job 23: 12; Ps. 42: 1-3; 137: 5, 6. That 
His presence should effect them is most natural. They 
were originally made in His image. They have been 
born anew and re-instated in His favor and kingdom. 
They are His children. 

"In His presence there is fulness of joy; at His 
right hand there are pleasures forevermore," Ps. 16: 
11. The withdrawing of His face troubles them, Ps. 
44: 24; 88: 14. 

The power of God in the soul reacts on the body, 
— bouys it up, animates and revivifies it, 2 Sam. 22: 
30; Ps. 18: 29; Is. 35: 6; 1 Cor. 15: 10. The power of 
endurance and vigor of God's people are due to grace 
and are not the results of physical endowment. 

Man in his normal state is moved by God. It is 
God that actuates and controls His movements, 2 Cor. 
5: 14; Matt. 14: 22; Mark 6: 45. Perhaps what v^e call 
super-natural strength in man is only his natural 
strength when in right relations to God, Matt, 10: 20; 
Luke 21: 15; Acts 6: 10; Ephes. 6: 10; 2 Tim. 1: 7; Heb. 
11: 34. Impotency of body or mind is not a charac- 
teristic of religion, Matt. 10: 16; James 1: 5. The 
change in the men, whom the Lord called to be His 
apostles, their writings and achievements — is a full 



48 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

vindication of it. They were of obscure birth, most 
of them of poor parentage, the larger portion, if not 
all of them, illiterate in the classical and literary- 
meaning of the term, yet they attained to degrees of 
wisdom and heights of knowledge hitherto unknown 
to men, and they stood without peers among the^ 
greatest of that generation, and stand to day unriv- 
alled in the annals of the Christian Church. 

Their breadth of mind, depth of heart, physical en- 
durance, are all 

Traceable 
to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had been with 
Jesus and learned of him. Acts 4: 13. He had induct- 
ed them into His kingdom, and unfolded to them His 
plans, and given them the elementary lessons, as they 
were able to receive them, John, 16: 12, of the nature 
and extent of His kingdom. They had been taken 
into fellowship and partnership by the Lord Jesus, 
and become part and parcel of the work that He came 
to do, John, 13: 8; 14: 12; 15: 15. Jesus Christ found- 
ed a kingdom upon and out of them. They wrought 
mightily to the glory of God. The human instru- 
ments, like the little walking stick in the hand of 
Moses, Ex. 4: 2, became mighty factors in God's hands 
for the work of righteousness and the confounding of 
the gainsayers and ungodly. 

^'As thy days so shall thy strength be," Deut. 33: 
25 — was fulfilled in their lives. They could say, "I 
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not 
I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now 
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, 
who loved me, and gave Himself for me," Gal. 2: 20. 
They could truthfully say, "For to me to live is 
Christ," Phil. 1: 21. 



THE CHURCH. 49 

Theirs was a surrendered life to Him who had 
bought them. They had lost their lives for Christ's 
sake and in Him they found them,— "nevertheless I 
live," Gal. 2: 20; Luke 9: 24. The 

Scope 
of their lives henceforth is in Him, Ps. 87: 7; Gal. 6: 
14. (This was most evidently Paul's view of life, 
Phil. 1: 22.) "He is Lord of all," Acts 10: 36. To 
Him they owe all things. He reigns over them tri- 
umphantly without a rival. His is an undisputed reign 
of unbounded and overflowing love over loyal and 
obedient subjects, devoted brothers, and faithful chil- 
dren, Matt. 12: 50; John 18: 36; Gal.3: 26;Ephes. 5: 24; 
Heb. 2: 11, 12, 13; Rev. 7: 3. These and other relation- 
ships man sustains to God through Christ, Rom. 8: 17; 
Gal. 4:7; Rev. 5: 10. 

He is also their healer, Ex. 15: 26; Ps. 6: 2; 103: 3; 
Jer. 17: 14; Matt. 8: 17. As we have previously seen 
that disease is the offspring of sin so we now see that 
healing is 

Interwoven 
with redemption. Healing is embraced in redemption. 
Sin is the cause of every moral and physical imper 
fection — for every deformity in the world. Redemp- 
tion is the cure. It is the axe, Matt. 3: 10, divinely 
laid at the root of the tree of evil with which to cut it 
down, and it also shall be uprooted and totally des- 
troyed and the remembrance of it be forgotten for- 
ever. And this will be done, in part, by teaching 
man the 

Law 
of his being. His suffering now is often largely due 
to his ignorance of himself. Religion teaches him 
what he is and how to live, Heb. 2: 6, 7, 8; 1 Pet. 3: 10, 

4 



50 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

11, 12. It shows him his excesses and points out to 
him his necessities. It teaches him how to avoid 
over-indulgences, to cultivate abstemious habits, and 
to refrain from that which is harmful to soul or body. 
It developes a surveillance over the entire person, 
guarding him from indiscretions and recovering him 
from former vices. Its work, at first, is to change 
man — to correct and train him in the Christian life — 
in the life of God. 

Any life into which God comes and dwells has 

Two Parts — 
from natural birth to regeneration, covering part the 
first; from reo^eneration to all eternity, covering part 
the second. Man is born unsaved, and the impeni- 
tent and unbelieving die unsaved and so remain — 
unsaved forever. Of course, we are not speaking of 
those who die in infancy and before reaching account- 
ability, or of tho^e who are born idiots, and, as a mat- 
ter of course, die idiots. 

The sin-germ — the tendency to sin — is in man 
at the time of his conception, and there a latent pow- 
er on the day of his birth. If not resisted it devel- 
opes with the chilli. Regeneration has to do with 
this — to overcome it and destroy it. ''Ye must be 
born, again," "from above," and "anew," finds it» 
logical and theological basis here. Theoretically the 
old life ends here and the new life begins. There are 
some remains of the old nature, as some of the ene- 
mies of God and the Israelites were left in Canaan, 
after the occupancy of it according to God's promise. 
Josh. 23: 13, but it has, in regeneration, received its 
death-blow — and it — the natural — has become subject 
to the spiritual. Though it may resist for sometime 
the spiritual's 



THE CHURCH, 51 

Supremacy, 

yet all of its efforts in the end will be ineffectual. 
Though it should smite to the ground, as Cain did 
Abel, Gen. 4: 8, the. life of faith in the soul, yet it will 
rise again and call down the vengeance of God upon 
its assailant. It may be suppressed by temptation, 
subjected to fiery trial, and undergo all sorts of tests 
and discipline, but it is an indestructible and uncon- 
querable life from God in the soul, independent of en- 
vironments and vicissitudes. 

That this is a part of God's plan in the economy 
of grace is plainly seen in the New Testament meta- 
phors, where the Christian's life is spoken of as 

A Battle — a Warfare, 
1 Tim. 1: 18, not a play -ground — a battle-field, 1 Tim, 
6: 12; 2 Tim. 4: 7, not a dress-parade— a campaign, an 
active, operative struggle — a positive fight, Num. 21: 
14; 1 Sam. 25: 28. A Christian's life is not intended 
for the parlor but the workshop, not 

Ornamental, 
ao vessels of gold and silver, 1 Tim. 2: 20, but useful 
as vessels of clay and wood. His sphere in life may 
be compared to the bee-hive. Solomon directs the 
sluggard to the ant, Prov. 6: 6, and Paul's advice in 
regard to the lazy man might be considered by him 
as being extremely harsh, 2 Thess. 3: 10 He certain- 
ly places him on 

A Self-Supporting Basis 
or dooms him to death by starvation. God's purpose 
is not to keep us in baby-hood but to develope in us a 
stalwart manhood. An ideal Christian does not need 
a cradle or a nursing bottle. You do not have to sing 
to him "a lul-la-by." He is not dependent upon the 
aesthetical in music, nor the artistical in building for 



52 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

iiis enjoyment of and interest in his master's work. 
He is taught to endure hardness as a good soldier, 
and that even Christ pleased not himself, Rom. 15: 3. 
He is taught that 

Fruit 
is more important than flowers, and that a tree is 
worthless and doomed that beareth nothing but 
leaves, Mark 11: 13, 14. He is at home and at ease 
in "home-spun" as much so as v^hen wearing broad- 
cloth, kid gloves, and patent leather shoes. His is a 
life 

Superior 
to outward surroundings and circumstances, tower- 
ing above all of them, finding its chief excellence in 
being and not in appearance. His is not merely a 
life of professing but of possessing. It is watered by 
hidden springs and fed on invisible forces. It is the 

Unseen 
that moves and sways him. He is upheld and sus- 
tained by the eternal. He sees Him that is invisible, 
Heb. 11: 27. Thus he rests in God, and God is to him 
"at hand and not afar off," Jer. 23: 23, In Him he 
lives, moves, and has his being, Acts 17: 28. Reli- 
gion is to him the glorious experience it was to Enoch, 
who walked with God, and was not, because God 
took him. Gen. 5: 24; Heb. 11: 5. God is ever blessing 
one, soul and body, who is so fully in His embrace, 
Ps. 3: 5; 4: 8. He realizes fully God's personality and 
enjoys His^companionship. He does not worship a 

Vague 
indefinable and incomprehensible being that cannot 
be approached and understood, but the 'living God,'' 
Deui. 5: 26; Josh. 3: 10, in the person of His Son, Jesus 

Christ his Saviour. 

4a 



THE CHURCH. 53 

Death and the Resurrection. 

Here we face the great fact that Jesus Christ has 
destroyed death, it;s power, "and hath brought life 
and immortality to light through the gospel," 2 Tim. 
1: 10. He delivered "them who through fear of death 
were all their life-time subject to bondage, Heb. 2: 15. 
Perhaps there is not a greater chapter on the sublim- 
est of themes, in the whole Bible, than, 1 Cor. 15. It 
discusses pardon, through the sacrificial death of 
Christ for man, His resurrection, and in Him, and 
in His — our resurrection. It shows how Christ in our 
stead — for our sakes — entered into death's domain, 
and grappled with it and overcame it — arose from the 
dead and opened His people's graves. Death has no 
more dominion over them. It is a conquered enemy, 
whose malign influences have been overcome, its pris- 
oners freed, and its empire abolished. 

In the finished work of Christ, in His perfected 
kingdom, in His and His people's final home it is al- 
ready announced, "There shall be no more death," 
Rev. 21: 4. He has already 

Resurrected 
them from a spiritual death, and He is pledged to 
them as their representative, that in Him they shall 
also have a physical resurrection. His message to 
them is, ^'Because I live, ye shall live also," John 14: 
19; 2 Tim. 2: 11: Rom. 6: 8. The voice of Him, who 
had been in the grave and laid there in death, comes 
to us, — "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, be- 
hold, I am alive for evermore," Rev. 1: 18. He holds 
the key to the nether world and will open it at His 
will. Here the gloom, and the shades, and the dark- 
ness of all ages, and of all people, and of all nations 
and countries, are gathered. When He shall have 



54 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

unlocked it and penetrated its depth — pierced its deep- 
est caverns and remotest parts with His all-seeing 
eye, and filled it with the thunders of His voice^ 
death and hell shall give up their dead, and 

Light 
from heaven flood the universe. The fulfilment of 
this, and of all that is in the life and destiny of man 
are in Christ and Him crucified, Christ and the resur- 
rection, and Christ ascended to the right hand of God, 
1 Cor. 2: 2; Acts 3: 15; 4: 33; 10: 40, 41; 25: 19; 26: 23^ 
Heb. 1: 3; Rev. 3: 21; Acts 7: 56. Christ begins, con- 
tinues, and completes the Christian's life. Temporal, 
physical, spiritual. 

Eternal 
blessings conrie to the saint — saved through Christ. 
Christ in grace, Christ in justification — pardon, Christ 
in regeneration, Christ in adoption, Christ in healing, 
Christ in the resurrection, Christ in man's glorifica- 
tion I Christ [ Christ ! I Christ I ! I In nature, in prov- 
idence, in glory, 

Everywhere, 
to the saved of all ages, of all countries, and all 
nations ! 

We have seen the position that man occupies in 
creation, providence, and redemption, from God's 
point of view, and here we see the position that Christ 
occupies as the representative of man and second 
Adam of the race. God in Christ makes everything 
centre in man. Man is the object in creation, prov- 
idence and redemption, 1 Cor. 5: 19. 

Christ is everything to man— the medium of 
approach to God, the pivotal point upon which turns 
all of his hopes, joys, and prospects of both worlds, 1 
Tim. 2: 5; Heb. 9: 15- 12: 24; Gal. 3: 19, 20. We here 



THE CHURCH. 55 

see the relation of Christ to God and man in Christ, 
and the relation of Christ to man. Christ 

Unites 
the two. Here humanity and divinity meet, and God 
through Christ approaches man. 

The Unchangeable Gospel. 
Here comes the absolute and unchangeable gos- 
pel — the gospel of Jesus Christ to men, Mark, 1: 1. 
It is the gospel that men and angels are forbidden to 
alter, GaL 1: 8, 9. It is just as God would have it. 
His warnings threaten and His anathemas are hurled 
against those who have the temerity to add to or take 
from it ! Rev. 22: 18, 19. It is the height of audacity 
in finite man to change the Word, and dictate, — at least 
attempt it — to God. Uzzah lost his life by trying to 
steady the ark of God, 2 Sam. 6: 6, 7. God Las sol- 
emnly forbidden the laying of human hands upon 
His plans at the peril of one's own personal safety 
and future security. He who thinks he knows better 
than God endangers his own soul. "Fools rush in 
where angels fear to tread." We must approach God 
and His word with reverence and godly fear, Matt. 6: 
9; Heb. 12: 28. The hearty acceptance of and full as- 
sent of man to God — ("He is Lord of all," Acts, 10: 
36) — are necessary in his salvation. To be saved — 
one must become as a little child, Matt. 18: 3, — accept 
God unconditionally. The danger of the church to 
day is in its self-sufficiency. The saved are filled 
with humility. They are aware of their poverty of 
spirit, Matt. 5: 3. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
These are weighty words. To them 

Belong 
the kingdom of heaven. God has given it to them. 
This is the only class to whom it is given. 



56 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

They are willing to accept it, John, 1: 12; Luke, 7: 30 
(God imposes the terms). They have had hear t- strug- 
gles after purity, and to them have been granted the 
preparation of heart necessary to clarify their spirit- 
ual vision. They see God, Matt. 5: 6, 8. They dare 
not offer nor desire to take any substitute for God or 
His gospel. Another gospel has no hearing among 
them. There is but one gospel, Ephes. 4: 4- 6. It is 
for all time— for all people. For it, they contend, 
Jude, verse 3. They combat every innovation. To 
them there is 

No 
"Congress of Religions," there is but one religion, 1 
Cor. 8: 4, 6. There may be ten thousand counterfiets. 
There can be no compromise. They claim all — 
possess all — or nothing. No half-way stop or 
middle ground. Out and out — all over — altogether 
one thing or the other — true or false, real or fictitious, 
1 Pet. 1: 16. Altogether persuaded to be a Christian, 
Acts, 26: 29. "A thing can not be and be." It is or 
it is not, Heb. 11: 6. 

It Is 
to the believer — and that settles it. There is no room 
with him for debate or proviso. Jesus Christ is all 
He said He was, or He is nothing, — and His gospel i& 
all He represented it to be, or it is imaginary, delusive, 
unreal. Nothing can be plainer than this. 

If it is true it is always new, Heb. 13: 8. It de- 
mands the 

Whole Heart 

or absolute rejection. It commends itself to every 

man^s conscience, 2 Cor. 4: 2. The religion of Jesu» 

is the 

Absolute 



THE CHURCH. 57 

relii^ion and the Bible is the absolute book. That is 
the way it stands and reads from beginning to end- 
ing. No book or religion could claim more. Jesus 
Christ claimed everything and His follower,? claimed 
the same for Him. It would be impossible to imagine 
or picture more absolute authority, Matt. 28: 18. 

The question is one of 

Belief or Unbelief, 
Which settles the whole question so far as it is 
relevant to the individual. A man's horizon here is 
deteimined by his faith— or the lack of it. It stretch- 
es indefinitely or contracts correspondingly as he be- 
lieves or disbelieves. God is, in some sense, to him 
what he makes Him. It may be more proper to say 
that the man who has great faith in God has first 
been wrought on by God. 

Faitli in the Gospel. 

The faith which he has in Christ is the response 
of the life in his heart — created there by the Holy 
Spirit. The Holy Spirit opened the way — was the 
pioneer — led the man to the acceptance of God. O 
woman, great is thy faith I Matt. 15: 28. woman 
great is thy God— the Holy Spirit, thy teacher ! 

The great characters produced in the world have 
been produced by the gospel. Great faith must 
have a great God. Great faith without a great God 
is impotent, 1 Kings, 18: 26, 27.2 8. 

Human culture, intellectuality, higher education, 
fine buildings, operatic singing, eloquent sermons, 
will not take the place of God among His people. 
His presence is indispensable, Ex. 33: 15, 16; John, 15: 
5. To the extent externals and formalities take the 
place of God among His people so far do they suffer 



58 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

spiritually. The withdrawing of God from the 
churches is due to 

Human 
substitutions. God is a jealous God and will not 
give His glory to another, Ex. 34: 14; Is. 42: 8. 

The return of the church to Christ is the world's 
hope and her salvation, 2 Chron. 15: 2: Deut. 4: 29. 

Perhaps, here is the greatest lesson that 

Prayer 
has to teach — man's dependence. Prayer is the voice 
of His dependence — the acknowledgement of his help- 
lessness. Man needs and is unable to supply his 
need. The source of his supply is above and beyond 
his reach. It must be brought to him — given. He is 
unable to buy it, in fact, God's blessings are not for 
sale, Is. 55: 1; Acts, 8: 20. He must pray — "ask," 
Matt. 7: 7; Luke, 11: 9. Praying is asking. It may 
be more but it is this, a person upon his knees is a 
person in need — need of some kind. We do not read 
of the angels praying. We read of their praising, 
Luke 2: 13. If man should cease to need he would 
cease to pray. He may pray without the immediate 
sense of his need, — he may praise in prayer, when 
there is no direct sense of God's blessing, yet coupled 
with it directly or remotely, is the sense of the divine 
favor — giving. Man's life is barren without the di- 
vine blessing — empty unless God fills it. God touches 
man's life everywhere by giving. Pom. 8: 32; 2 Cor, 
8: 9. Man is exhorted to pray and should always be 
praying, 1 Thess. 5: 17. No other creature is so needy 
as man — hence his constant cry to God, — "Instant in 
prayer," Rom. 12: 12. Ho must pray, whether he 
will or not — he will (iavoluntarily) pray. He may 
pray when it is too late, when God will not hear, — 



THE CHURCH. 59 

but pray he will— pray he must. It is the law of his 
being. He cannot but pray . Esau sought his fath- 
er's blessing when it was not obtainable, Heb. 12: 17, 
and even wicked men pray in the time of great dan- 
ger, e. g , wicked sailors in the time of a great storm 
at sea, yet we are not to infer that their prayers are 
always acceptible and heard. There is more required 
on man's part than the mere praying. It is not all in 
his hands. God has His time and way. He should 
be heard and heeded. He speaks of the effectual, fer- 
vent prayer of a -righteous man that availeth much, 
James 5: 16. 

We see that a man will pray, but he must be. 
taught 

How 
to pray. No man prays effectively who has not been 
taught how. John taught his disciples, Jesus His, 
Luke 11: 113, and the Holy Spirit still teaches all 
who truly know how to pray, Rom. 8: 26; Ephes, 6: 18; 
Jude verse 20. The Scriptures give much space to 
it, and Christ devoted whole nights to it. It cannot 
be learned from 

A Prayer=book 
and be recited like poetry. It is born in the deepest 
human experience where God meets man and wrestles 
with him as He did with Jacob of old, Gen. 32: 24. 
In the heart of him who truly prays, prayer is the 
voice of God. God speaking to him, within him, 
through him. Prayer is the language of God in the 
soul. It familiarizes a man with heaven as it is com- 
munication between man and the God of heaven. A 
man who has prayed indeed and in truth will not be 
altogether a stranger when he gets to heaven. God 
cannot be forced by prayer. Prayer brings to man 



GO TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

the knowledge of God's will, Matt. 26: 39; 2 Cor. 12: 
8, 9. The suppliant is in accord willi God. It could 
not be otherwise if he believes God to be the Being 
He is represented to be in the Bible. Prayer is the 
expression of faith in God. He who really prays be- 
lieves in God, trusts in him, relies upon him. He ac- 
cepts God. There is no appeal beyond Him. Wheth- 
er His answer is yea or nay it is final. 
His 

No 
is as authoritative as His yes. The petitioner is seek- 
ing an answer. 

What God elects in his case is believed to be for 
his good and God's glory. The relation here is that 
of Father and child. While the Father owns the 
child, the child possesses the love and affection of 
the Father, Matt. 7: 11. The Father has not only the 
life of the child in His hands, but his good at heart. 
It is the child's good that He seeks in imposing upon 
him theduty of prayer. It is not that God is not 
ready and willing to bestow, but man is often not in 
the condition to receive. 
Prayer is 

Preparatory — 
puts the suppliant in the frame of mind to receive. 
It lays him low — prostrate at the Lord's feet. It 
shows him that every good and perfect gift cometh 
down from above, James 1: 17. It keep him at the 
throne of grace where he obtains mercy and finds 
grace to help in every time of need, Heb. 4: 16. He 
learns more and more that the object of God's house 
is a place in which to pray, 1 Kings 8: 30-53; 
Matt. 21: 13. He who has been taught and has 
learned how to pray is in touch with God and in ac- 



THE CHURCH. 61 

cord and communication with heaven. There is 
nothing man can learn of greater value to him — than 
how to pray — not merely to pray — but how to pray. 

O for men who know how to pray — mighty in 
prayer I 

The introduction to and chief characteristic of 
the Holy Spirit's administration of Christ's work in 
the affairs of His newly established kingdom and 
church — is prayer. The ascension of Christ is fol- 
lowed by ascending prayer, Acts 1: 4. The Holy 
Spirit began His work in a prayer-meeting, Acts 1: 
14; 2: 1-4. The church needs to-day 

More 
prayer-meetings and fewer preaching services. One 
sermon born in a prayer-meeting is worth thousands 
produced elsewhere, Acts 2: 14-41. 

Right Method of Preaching. 

Modern preaching, in some particulars, is at vari- 
ance with the apostolic practice. In many commun- 
ions it exalts the minister too far above the cc^ngre- 
gation. It has assumed functions unknown to Bible- 
students or in primitive circles. The study of the 
'New Testament here is worthy of attention and is 
brought to notice. What kind of meetings did the 
apostles and their helpers hold, and what kind of ser- 
mons did they preach ? Some of the meetings and 
sermons are reported and some are not given. 
Enough are given from which to form an idea of their 
meetings and preaching, and reach a definite conclu- 
sion. The 

Elaborate 
sermon of to day, written and read, is of a much later 
day's growth than that of the apostles and the New 
Testament Scriptures. 



62 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

Written sermons lack scriptural warrant and 
precedent. 

Some may say that the times have changed and 
that there should be a corresponding change in the 
style of preaching, ^^'ill elegance in style, purity of 
diction, and faultlessness in delivery, make up for 
the loss, to some extent, at least, of the Holy Spirit's 
power? The gain, evidently, is not 

Commensurate 
with the loss. Whatever retards or interferes with 
the spirit's influence is a positive disadvantage and 
an unmitigated evil. Not that the Scriptures object 
to preparation for public ministration. They require 
it, but it is more especially preparation of heart, Acts 
6: 4. 

Heart Preparation 
is ever an essential to preaching the word. 

The minister is God's messenger. He announces 
and proclaims — never declaims — the pleasure of the 
Lord. He is nearly akin to the prophet of the Old 
Testament — in fact, prophesying is synonymous with 
preaching in the New Testament, Acts 2: 17. The 
prophet received his call, authority, and message 
from the Lord, and so it is with the preacher. God 
moves him to preach. And so it is with any success- 
ful worker, men, who do God's work acceptably, it 
matters not whether in pulpit or pew, are moved 
thereto by God. Stephen was as truly moved by the 
power of God operating upon him and in him as was 
Barnabas or Paul, Acts 6:8. 

And yet he was not a preacher in the 

Popular 
sense of the word. Paul mentions many of his fel- 
low-workers who are not put in the category of 



THE CHURCH. 63 

preachers, Phil. 4:3. It is not necessary to be a 
preacher, officially, as it is now understood, to be a 
soul saver. The humblest of God's people may be 
endued with power from on liigh and be used in this 
capacity. Souls are constantly being led to God 
through the weakest of instruments. No wonder at 
this for He has "chosen the weak things of the world 
to confound the things which are mighty," 1 Cor. 1: 
27. Paul tells us, "We have this treasure in earthen 
vessels that the excellency of the power may be of 
'God and not of us," 2 Cor. 4: 7. 

It is clearly seen that the power that saves man 
is of God and not of us. He may, therefore, magnify 
the weakest of instruments. It is not the Solomons 
who have laid the world under the gi eatest tribute 
for their efficient service, self-denying lives, and con- 
spicuous godliness. It has been too often otherwise. 
The 

Highest 
type of man is not to be sought among the physical, 
or intellectual, but the spiritual. Solomon dwarfs in 
the presence of Paul and is greatly the loser by com- 
parison. Sampson's strength and Solomon's wisdom 
were not safe-guards against the wiles of the devil. 
It is the poor in spirit. Matt. 5: 3, those who are weak, 
2 Cor. 4: 16; 12: 10, yet believers on Christ, who are 
divinely strong. The strongest man and the wisest 
man were not successes — were not matches for the 
subtleties which beset them. It is the spiritual man 
who is more than a match for all his adversaries, 
Rom. 8: 37. We are reminded here of a truth of such 
frequent recurrence in the word of God, "Thus saith 
the Lord, Let not the loise man glory in his wisdom, 
neither let the mighty man glory in l\is might, let not 



64 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that 
glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and 
knoweth me, that I am the 

Lord 
which exercises loving kindness, judgment, and right- 
eousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, 
saith the Lord,'' Jer. 9: 23, 24. 

We readily see why the strong man and wise 
man are over-matched. They are 

Self=Sufficient — 
trusting in themselves — relying upon their own re- 
sources. They fall an easy prey to the tempter. Not 
so with the spiritual man — his dependence is upon 
God. He has learned, perhaps, from sad experience, 
not to trust in the arm of flesh. His strongest reso- 
lutions have been as brittle under pressure as were 
the cords which bound Sampson. If he made them 
to keep them, he signally failed to be steadfast in his 
purpose under temptation. He has seen time and 
again his self-erected forts demolished. 

He has been exposed to the enemy, and driven by 
him from of his places of hiding. There came to him, 
it may be, suddenly, "God is our refuge and strength, 
a very present help in trouble," Ps. 46: 1. "The Lord 
is my shepherd," Ps. 23: 1. "He that dwelleth in the 
secret place of the most High shall abide under the 
shadow of the Almighty," Ps. 91: 1. Jesus has gath- 
ered him, as a hen doth her brood under her wings, 
Matt. 23: 37. He is his dwelling place, Ps. 90: 1. As 
the man-slayer flees to the city of refuge for protec-' 
tion, so he has fled to Jesus as his only resort, Heb. 6: 
18. Christ is to him a tower of strength, Ps. 63: 3; 
Prov. 18: 10. 



THE CHURCH, 65 

He can preach Christ for he knows Christ. He 
is fitted by grace and providence for his office. He 
is furnished by personal experience in the things of 
God, the knowledge of salvation, and is eminently 
qualified to teach it to others. He has the ability 
given him to impart instructions to others. ''Apt to 
teach" aptly describes him, 1 Tim. 8: 2. The knowl- 
edge to be imparted is spiritual knowledge, 2 Cor. 2: 
14. It is not a fine physique or physical culture 
— not his attainments as a foot ball and base ball 
player that prepares him for the ministry, but Christ 
dwelling within him. "Know thou the God of thy 
fathers" — is the charge to deliver to him. We may 
add, he is not necessarily an astronomer, astrologer, 
geologist, mineralogist, or botanist because he is a 
minister of the word. He may not have the intellect- 
ual culture and scope and the scientific and classical 
attainments required for a college or university de- 
gree, yet he may be wise unto salvation, and able to 
teach others also, 2 Tim. 3: 15; Titus 1: 9. The ex- 
amination of the preacher is different from that of 
the scholar. An important question in his examina- 
tion is, Have ye received the Holy Ghqst since ye 
believed (Acts, 19: 2) ? This is the essential qualifi- 
cation of delivering God's message to the people. 
This is not necessarily a part of a college or univer- 
sity curriculum. The preacher, as we have said, like 
Old Testament prophets, must — if God-appointed — re- 
ceive his message from the Lord. He is the Lord's 
messenger. It is as true to-day as ever. "Behold I 
send my messenger," Mai. 3: 1. Ihe preacher must 
have a message if he wants to be heard, and it must 
be an authoritative one. A message of power, Acts 
1: 8; 1 Cor. 4: 20. His, then strictly speaking, is more 
J. 



66 TAUGHT THS WILL OF GOD. 

of a spiritual examination. We have seen that in 
tlie days of the giants, that their physical power was 
unequal to the demands made upon them in the con- 
test between good and evil — God and the devil, Gen. 
6: 6. Their great strength was unable to deliver 
them from the reign of ungodliness. It may have 
been 

A Gigantic Race 
and age, but unrighteousness was in the ascendency 
and wickedness possessed almost universal dominion. 
And so during the intellectual reign of King Solomon. 
Morally, his was a reign of decadence. It had a 
glorious sun-rise, but it set amid gloom and dark- 
ness, 1 Kings 8: 5-14; 11: 1-13. Perhaps, we see in 
part why physical and intellectual qucJifications 
and attainments fail to prepare the preacher for his 
life-work. We have seen that he is God's messenger 
and that he must know how to pray, and that any 
person who does not know how to pray, cannot know 
how to preach. He must be on speaking terms with 
God, his lips must be touched with a live coal, Is. 6: 
6, 7, from off His altar. There must be an intimate 
and vital relationship between God and the preacher^ 
if the message is to come from God through the 
preacher, and bo a living message upon his lips 
from God to men. Oh for such preaching ! The 
preacher says, 'T know whom I have believed," 2 
Tim. 1: 12. The word is n hammer to break the rock 
in pieces, Jer. 23: 29. Balm to the broken-hearted^ 
Jer. 8: 22; liberty to the captive, the "year of Jubilee," 
Luke, 4: 18, 19. What 

A Privilege 
to preach when in possession of such a message ! It 
is truly glad tidings that he bears to the people^ 



THE CHURCH, 67 

Rom. 10: 15. He speaks God's words, expresses His 
thoughts and enters into His plans and work for man. 
What a glorious reality to have the mind and life of 
God illuminating and throbbing in one's heart, 
Pnil. 2: 5. What liberty ! What a pleasure to 
preach Christ ! Such a ministry as this cannot 
be superseded nor supplemented by an educated 
one. Not that an educated ministry may not be 
as already described, but education as a hu- 
man accomplishment, is not a prime factor require<i 
in the Word of God as an essential qualification of 
the ministry. Nothing is said about it, therefore no 
great stress can be placed upon it. It is true the 
preacher is a teacher, not of geometry or trigonome- 
try or chemistry, but of the Word of God. His text- 
books are Providence, Grace, the Bible-lessons drawn 
from the lives of men as touched by God in His 
providential dealing with them by His Grace as 
shown in the Holy Scriptui-es, Pom. 15: 4; 1 Cor. 10: 
11. Here the preacher must be familiar, conversant, 
versatile — indeed a teacher. Here he must experience, 
know, and enforce upon his hearers the deep things 
of God, 1 Cor. 2: 10. He must speak as did his Sav- 
iour, with authority and not as the scribes, Matt. 7: 
29. It may be the lack of attention here that has 
given rise to the numerous lay-preachers and to the 
large army of evangelists, in many instances the lat- 
ter class including those who are deficient in moral 
qualities, especially reverence. It must be, ho>vever, 
expected, that there will be some deleterious effects, 
if the regular and recognized ministry depart in any 
particular from its characteristics as a divine voca- 
tion. If there is any substitution of the human for 
the divine wisdom, the effects of it will be felt on the 



68 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

churches and the world, and the sceptre will begin 
to depart from Judah and the canrJlestick to be re- 
moved from its place, Rev. 2: 5. And not only that, 
but men will follow the pillar of fire and the pillar of 
cloud, Ex. 13; 21, and the ministry loose its hold on 
the generality of men. We here and now invite the 
ministry, if it has departed in aay particular, to re- 
turn to the well defined note^ that distinguish it in 
the word of God. Such a return must be a blessing 
to any preacher and congregation, the cause of 
Christ thereby greatly the gainer. It is the duty of 
the ministry to the congregation, if they have depart- 
ed in any wise from Christ, to return fully to him. 
They are the leaders and shape largely the belief and 
doctrinal tendencies of their hearers. It follows as 
effect follows cause, and night day, that ^they are 
greatly responsible for the religious state of the 
church and of the influence of the gospel upon the 
world. It is to them that all appeals for amendment 
of life, integrity of character, surrender to God, de- 
votedness of soul,consecretion of life,luyalty to Christ, 
fidelity to His word, must first be made. They that 
bear the vessels of theLord must be holy, possessing 
a single eye to God's Glory, oneness of purpose. Is. 
52: 11; Matt. 6: 22; 1 Cor. 10: 31, A Christ-like minis- 
try is needed in every age, every clime, every day, and 
every hour. Let every minister examine himself in 
the light of this, God's truth, see what is required of 
him, and strive to attain it. Let there be he'art- 
searchings and soul-strivings after God, that he may 
apprehend Him by whom he is apprehended, Phil. 3: 
12. 0, the height of the ideal ! But let the minis- 
try not despair, for he was a man of sorrow and ac- 
quainted with grief, Heb. 2: 18; Is. 53: 3. He took 

5« 



THlfi CHURCH. 69 

our natures, Heb. 3: 16. To be like Him may lead 
the ministry into the 

Valley 
of His humiliation, into the depths of his sorrow — 
until their souls become as His did exceedingly sor- 
rowful even unto death, Phil. 2: 7, 8; Heb. 5: 8; Matt. 
26: 38. Phil. 3: 10; 2 Tim. 2: 12, Col, 1: 24. He hum- 
bled Himself to become a Saviour before He was ex- 
alted. Acts, 5:31, He overcame before He sat down 
at the right hand of God, Rev. 3: 21. The servant is 
not greater than his Lord, Matt. 10: 24, 25; John, 13: 
16:; 15: 20. 

Let the ministry expect the effects that followed 
Christ's ministry to follovv theirs. He said that they 
would, in the reference text given, John, 15: 20. If 
the ministry is largely responsible for the present 
status of religious life and the general state of relig- 
ion among men, it 

Behooves 
it to bestir itself and be strong. "Quit you like men, 
be strong," is the divine commandment, 1 Cor, 16: 
13, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of 
His might," Ephes. 6: 10, Moses charged Joshua 
and David, Solomon — "be strong and of good courage 
Deut 31: 7; 1 Kings, 2: 2, and Jesus solemnly enjoin- 
ed upon His disciples — "Fear not them which kill 
the body, but are not able to kill the soul," Matt, 10: 
128. A man-fearing, an age-serving ministry is incom- 
patible with ths gosp3l and unworthy of their Lord, 
Those who voice the sentiment of His gospel and ex- 
emplify His Spirit are fitly described by Paul in 
speaking of himself, "But none of these things move 
me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that 
I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, 



70 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

which I have received of the Lord Jesus; to testify 
the gospel of the grace of God," Acts 20: 24. Such 
a ministry on the threshold of an eternity of bliss 
may say, '*The time of my departure is at hand. I 
have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, 
I have kept the faith," I am going home to God and 
my final reward at His own right hand, 2 Tim, 4: 6, 
7, 8. Such a ministry is 

Victorious 
in time and triumphant in glory, an honor to God, 
and a benediction to man. Any man should esteem 
it a priviledge to belong to such a ministry, 1 Tim. 1: 
12. No higher favor nor greater compliment can be 
bestowed by God upon man. To be taken into His 
confidence, share in His labor, and partake of His joy 
in the salvation of the unsaved, is indeed a distinc- 
tion for which any one should be thankful. 

It is highly appropriate for such a ministry as 
this to pronounce the apostolic benediction (2 Cor. 13: 
14), for it is an apostolic ministry. It may say. Fol- 
low me as I follow Christ (1 Cor. 11: 2), and "Be ye 
therefore followers of God, as dear children; and 
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us and hath 
given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to 
God for a sweet smelling savour, Epheg. 5: 12. 
The Congregation or Laity. 

But there are requirements of the congregation — 
duties devolving upon them as well as the ministry. 
They are exhorted to take heed how they hear and 
what they hear, Mark 4: 24; Matt. 7: 15. The condi- 
tion of the hearer has a great deal to do with the suc- 
cess or failure of the word as preached to him. Matt, 
13: 18-23, It is prophesied that the time will come 
when the hearers will not endure sound doctrine but 



THE CHURCH. 71, 

will depart from the faith once for all delivered unto 
the saints, 2 Tim. 4: 3; Jade, 1: 3. The seven church- 
es of Asia are embraced in that time when they 
would not endure sound doctrine. It may be true of a 

Time=Serving 
ministry seeking emoluments, praise, and popularity, 
"like people, like priest", Hosea, -i: 9. 

As we have seen that the ministry exerts a great 
influence upon the congregation, yet we must not 
forget that there is a counter influence exerted by 
the congregation upon the ministrv, Gal. 2: 11-16. 
The congregation should strive to exert 

A Wholesome 
influence over the ministry. If there is any lack of 
entire consecration on the part of the ministry, the in- 
fluence of the congregation may be more potent than 
that of the ministry, and if not wholesome, it does 
not take a prophet to tell the result. There are con- 
gregations and almost entire communions who do not 
object to, or, at lesst, jrohibit any foim of worldly 
amusements. My pastor does not object to my doing 
this or that, may be, in many instances, very signifi- 
-cant. Had he objected in all probability he would 
not have been in that communion, and therefore, not 
his or her pastor. The license granted, perhaps, is 
the secret of both the minister being in the pulpit and 
the member in the communion. The proper spirit 
for both minister and member is that exhibited by 
Moses when requested by Joshua to prohibit Eldad and 
Medad from prophesying, "Would God that all the 
Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would 
put His spirit upon them," Num. 11 : 29. It should 
not be how far we can live from God and yet get to 
heaven, but how near we can live to Him. Perhaps, 



72 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

the exclamation of Moses will be realized. It was in 
part fulfilled on Pentecost as foretold by Joel, Joel 2: 
28-32; Acts 2 : 17, 18. Peter's conception of the church 
embraced this, 1 Pet. 2: 9. Laxity in pul}dt and pew 
— on the part of ministry and laity — -is to make all 
discipline against wrong doing impossible. 
The Evils of Denominationalism. 
Laxity on the part of one communion and strict- 
ness on the part of another makes discipline against 
an offender ineffectual, as he can (as we have known 
it to be the case), if excluded from membership in one 
communion make application for membership in 
another, and often be received. Here is one of the 
evils cf denominationalism. If one attempts to cor- 
rect its membership and obey the scriptures by prun- 
ing, John 15: 2, and discipline, 2 Thess. 3: 6, aiiother 
will, in many instances, accept the one the other 
rejects and render all moral law and autliority the 
church should exert over its members null and void. 
If one pulls down what another builds up they 

Neutralize 
each other. A house divided against itself cannot 
stand, Matt. 12: 25. Here denominationalism is di- 
vided against itself. And not only so as we have al- 
ready said, but if a person should get miffed with an- 
other member of the same church to which he be- 
longs, or dissatisfied with his church for personal 
reasons of a minor nature, that is, as already indi- 
cated, dislike for another member or members, or 
preacher, he may withdraw and at once apply and 
be received into another communion. It is not a 
matter of doctrine, faith, practice, but' of personal 
feeling or preference v^^ithout reference to 

The Will of God 



THE CHURCH. 73 

as revealed in His word and to man by the Holy Spir- 
it. Ill tlie u>i^\v Testament times, it could be said, 
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, 
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond 
or free; and have all been made to drink into one 
Spirit,"' 1 Cor. 12: 13. The bond of union cementing 
the apostolic churches together is oneness of doc- 
trine and practice. We cannot conceive of these 
churches planted by the apostles varying in doctrine 
and practice. Such a diversity 

As 
adult and infant baptism, sprinkling, pouring, and 
immersion, dancing, gladiatorial amphitheatre-going 
members, in one church, and adult baptism, immer- 
sion, and those opposed to such worldly practices in 
another, would have been impossible in apostolic 
churches. One set of rules for one church and an- 
other set for another is 

Incompatible 
with omniscience — with divine authority and super- 
intendency. It is true some might try to get a clue 
because the gentiles were not commanded to be cir- 
cumcised (Acts 15) but the truth is circumcision had 
been annulled — and was not to be continued by the 
believing Jew. In New Testament theology circum- 
cision is a dead letter from the entrance of Jesus up- 
on His public ministry. It is true it continued to be 
practiced until Christian theology had dominated 
Judaism, but the coming of Jesus ended circumcis- 
ion. It has no place in the new dispensation. It 
need not be spught for, as it cannot be found. What 
is the sum of the whole matter? There is 

Needed 
a body of believers with God in them, authoritatively 



74 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

operating upon the world, that is, Christ operating 
upon the world through them. My desire is, my 
prayer is, the leading of the Holy Spirit is, that there 
may be such a body, men upon whom God can rely, 
upon whom He can depend. May God 

Raise 
up a body dominated by the Holy Spirit of whom 
Christ is the Head, dating their claims on the remot-" 
est antiquity and latest composition of the Scriptures, 
as o]d and young as the Bible itself^ basing their 
authority on the teaching of the Bible, as wid^ and 
as narrow as it is; clearly and distinctly and unmis- 
takably Bible Christians— men and women be- 
lievers — after God's own heart. 

The Bible. 
Being as old and young as the Bible itself, leads 
us to trace the relation between believers of to-day 
and the word of God — the Bible. Paul states the re- 
lation of the Bible to Christians in two passages of 
Scripture, Rom. 15: 4; 1 Cor. 10: 11. "For whatso- 
ever things were written aforetime were written for 
our learning, that we through patience and comfort 
of the Scriptures might have hope." ''Now, all these 
things happened unto them for examples: and they 
are written for our admonition, upon whom the 
ends of the world are come." Psa. 44: l;"and Judges 
6: 13. "We have h'Bard with our ears, O God, our 
fathers have told U3, what work thou didst in their 
days, in the times of old." "And Gideon said unto 
him. Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is 
all this befallen us ? and where be all His miracles 
which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord 
bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath for- 
saken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Mid- 



THE CHURCH. 75 

ianites.'* We may put along side of these quotations, 
2 Tim. 3: 16, 17; '"All Scripture is given byjnspiration 
of God. and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that 
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished 
unto all good works." This quotation brings out the 
object of the Bible. The direct object of the Bible 
is, clearly, to bring us to God. It tells us how to get 
to Him. In itself it does not save us, it tells us how 
we may be saved. Ic does not possess the power 
apart from God to save men. Its mission is to lead 
man to God. It is not. intended to be put upon the 
centre table as a sacred relic or superstitiously wor- 
shipped, but devoutly studied as a guide to God. 
There it leaves man alone with God. The teaching 
of the Bible, the examples of the Bible, the whole 
Bible, are to encourage men to come to God. It 
shows what men have done who came to God. It 
tells us what kind of men they were, James, 5: 17, 
and how God took them and used them. The foun- 
dation principles and doctrines of the Bible are based 
upon and deeply rooted in the unchanging nature of 
God and in the need of man. Man needs God to-day 
as much as he he ever did. Jesus Christ is said to be 
the same yesterday, to-dgy, and forever, Heb. 13, 8. 
There is no change, there cannot be any change in 
man's nature that will relieve him of his dependence 
upon God. It is just as important for God to reveal 
Himself to man to-day, and for man to know God as 
it ever was. There must be personal contact and the 
communication of God Himself to the people of this 
generation as truly and really as to the people of any 
past generation. The having of the Bible cannot save 
us. It is simply God's text-book containing the rud- 



76 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

iments and the elementary instructions concerning 
Himself in His relation to man. He is still 

The 
teacher. The Jews had committed to them the 
oracles of God (Rom. 3: 2), and yet they were reject- 
ed of God and scattered abroad, and so it may be 
with us — perish with an open Bible before us. The 
depending upon the letter of Scripture and not the 
Spirit is death to any individual or people. The call- 
ing of ourselves a Christian nation, when it is only 
nominally so — in name — is not worthy to us the 
breath that it takes to utter it. It is still time (and 
always will be) that "righteousness axalteth a na- 
tion: but sin is a reproach to any people," Prov. 14: 
34. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord," 
Ps. 33: 12. We see then, it is not the possession of 
the Bible that saves us, but the God of the Bible. 
The Lord's portion is His people, Deut. 32: 9; Rom. 
14: 712. His people's portion is Himself, Ps. 16: 5; 
73: 26; John 20: 28. This is a glorious truth consider- 
ed either way or both ways. For God to give His 
people the Bible and not Himself would be unavailing. 
The Father gave His Son, John, 3: 16, the Son gave 
Himself, Gal. 2: 20, and has given through Himself 
from the Father the Holy Spirit, John 14: 56; Acts 2: 
33. There could be no greater giving of God to man 
than this. The Son reveals the Father, John 1: 18, 
and the Holy Spirit the Son, John 16: 13, 14, 15. 
There is not anything in heaven and earth that God 
has not given, Rom. 8: 32. Himself embraces all 
things, 1 Cor. 3: 21, 22, 23. 

Listen to Jesus, "he that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father," John 14: 9. The Holy Spirit was visible 
at the baptism of Jesus and Pentecost, Matt. 3: 16, 



THE CHURCH. 77 

and John writes of Jesus, "That which was from the 
beginning, which we have heard, which we have 
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and 
our hands have handled of the word of life (for the 
life was manifested and we have seen it, and bear 
witness and shew unto you that eternal life, which 
was with the Father, and v/as manifested unto us 
That which we have seen and have heard declare we 
unto you, that ye miy also liave fellowship with us; 
and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with 
His Son Jesus Christ,"! Johnl: 1, 2, 3. And the Son 
tabernacled among men for the space of over thirty- 
three years, with a public ministry extending over 
three years, Acts 1: 21, 22, in which he wrought mir- 
acles through the power of the Holy Spirit, Matt, 12: 
28, and revealed the Father to mankind, Matt. 11: 
27. He taught men to pray, Matt. 6: 9; Luke 11: 7, 
and to worship "Our Father which is in heaven", 
John 4: 24. He lifted the veil more fully than it had 
ever been before from the future and unseen world 
and brought the kingdom of God to man's door, Mark 
1: 15. He showed the relation of man to the present 
and future life and to this and the next world and 
his relation and close proximity to both as it had 
never been seen and understood before. Even His 
disciples, when He first came and began to teach and 
unfold to them Himself, His nature, work, and mis- 
sion, were capable of knowing Him or His doctrine 
only very imperfectly. They saw His meaning but 
very dimly. Their conception of him was set in 
much vagueness. The query upon many lips was, 
"Who is this Son of man ?" John 12: 34. To some of 
the desciples He said after His resurrection, "O fool 
and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets 



78 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered 
these things, and to enter into His gloi-y ? and be- 
ginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded 
unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning 
Himseli," Luke 24: 25, 26, 27. The specific object of 
the Bible then— is to reveal God in Christ to man, 2 
Cor. 5:19. While the Bible is professedly incomplete, 
John 20:30, 31; 21: 25, yet on this point it is complete. 
"But these are writttn that ye might believe that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believ- 
ing ye might liave life through His name." This is 
the keynote and keystone to the entire Bible. Its ob- 
ject IS to establish this truth — that Christ the Son of 
God and the Son of man came into the world. This 
was the greatest of all events and the one object of 
the Bible is to confirm it. It is true that the whole 
Bible is taken up in preparing the world for the Lord's 
coming and His coming is the inspiration of all its 
pages and the music of all ages. No greater state- 
ment ever fell from human lips than that made by 
the Apostle John, "And we know that the Son of 
God is come, and hath given us an understanding, 
that we mav know Him that is true, and we are in 
Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This 
is the true God and eternal life," 1 John 5: 20. Take 
Christ out of the Bible and there will not be any 
Bible left. Christ, in one sense, is the Bible— its theme 
— its fulfilment, its completion. The Bible is His 
biography, in law, in types, in shadows, in prophecy, 
in manifestation, in personality, in His representative, 
the Holy Spirit. After His ascension is given the 
acts of the 

Holy Spirit 
in the Acts of the apostles and the epistles. The 



THE CHURCH. 79 

acts of the apostles and the epistles are the acts of 
His representative, the Holy Spirit. The record as 
given is fragoientiry and partial (with nuimportant 
parts of it missing, Nunn, 21: 14; 1 Kings 4: 32; 1 
Chron. 29: 29;2 Chron. 9: 29;Col. 4: 16; 1 Cor. 5: 9; 
Ma t. 2: 23; 27: 9), yet all that is necessary, remains 
to show, (and even more) that the Holy Spirit is here 
guiding and teaching, and administering the affairs of 
God's Kingdom and church in the world. This is all 
that it is necessary for the Bible to do, for we are not 
to rely upon it but the Holy Spirit to which it points 
and of which it speaks. When the church shall have 
fully comprehended the mission of the Holy Spirit 
it will need no other guide, and the Bible v^^ill only be 
a help and this only as it is illuminated by Himself 
to His own comprehension. It is the present, person- 
al, living, and infinite God upon v^hom we are to 
depend and upon whom we are to rely. It may be 
that the faith of the present church is 

Too Much 
in the Bible instead of the God of the Bible. Not that we 
would detract one iota from the Bible but exalt the God 
of the Bible. Not that we would hush the voice of 
the bible whose voice was heard for the last time 
nearly 1900 years ago, but emphasize the ministry of 
the Holy Spirit whose voice should be heard in the 
church to-day and, through her, in the world. 

Doubtless we have mis- interpreted scripture and 
misunderstood the real meaning of the Bible. I have 
been accustomed to hear, for example, from my child- 
hood and the Bible given as the authority, — that the 
time of our Saviour's return to earth cannot be 
known. That this is the Scriptural teaching is ex- 
tremely doubtful, in fact, that it is not is conclusive 



80 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

— as will be s^en. The fact i? the Bible is very much 
like the cloud that led the children of Isreal, to tliem 
it gave light, to the Egyptians darkness, Ex. 14: 20. 
Now, let us state v\^hat we mean by saying the time 
or age in which the Saviour shall return may be 
known. We mean, it may be revealed to those pre- 
pared for it, made ready to receive it. We do not 
mean to say that any man shall know 

Specifically 
the hour, day, week, or year, but in some sense the 
period or age of His coming. Here comes the proof 
of it. Simeon did not know the time of the Lord's 
CO Tiing the first time — His birth, but what says the 
inspired penman, "It was sevealed unto him by the 
Holy Spirit that he should not see death, before he 
had seen the Liord's Christ," Luke 2: 26. It is writ- 
ten, "For ye yourselves know perfectly that the day 
of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night, and in 
almost the same breath is spoken, "But ye brethern 
are not in darkness, that the day should overtake 
you as a thief." "Ye are all the children of light and 
the children of day". 1 Thess. 5: 4, 6; Acts I: 7, 8, 
accords with John, 16: 12, 13. "It is not for you to 
know the times or the seasons, which tha Father 
hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive 
power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, 
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem 
and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter- 
most parts of the earth." "I have many things to 
say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." 
"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He 
will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak 
of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall 
He speak; 



THE CHURCH. 81 

And He Will Show You Things to Come." 

It is one thing to reason and by logical processes 
and deductions discover truths and another to have 
them revealed to you. The coming of Jesus is not 
a logical but revealed' truth. No unaided human 
mind can predict the day in which He will come. It 
remains yet to be shown to the church the time of 
His coming. And it is not the Son (Matt. 24: 26) but 
the Holy Spirit (John 14: 16, 26; 15: 26) that makes 
His coming known. These Scriptures are 

Too 
plain to admit if comment. The Father shows the 
Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit represents the Son, 
One does not infringe upon the oflBce-work of the 
other. In the Scripture (John 16: 13) already quoted, 
it is said the Holy Spirit will guide into all truth, 
not speaking of Himself, what He shall hear that 
shall He speak, and show things to come. Four 
things mentioned here. Guide into all truth The 
coming of Jesus is included in the ^'all truth." 
Not speaking of Himself but the Saviour, and showing 
things in connection with Him, which are to come' 
Does not this coincide with the words of Jesus to 
the apostles — "Wilt thou at this time restore again 
the kii.gdom to Israel ?" "It is not for you to know 
the times or seasons, which the Father hath put in 
His own power. But ye shall receive power after 
that the Holy Spirit is come upon you," etc. Acts 1: 
6, 7, 8. It was 

Not For Them 
to know. He did not say that no one wo^ld know at 
any future age, rather the contrary. At the proper 
time, to the proper persons, the Holy Spirit would 
hear from the Father the things pertaining to Jesus 



82 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD, 

and shew those things to them. Is not this the 
teaching of these Scriptures ? The Holy Spirit is the 
teacher of the apostles and of their successors— the 
church in all 

Succeeding 
generations. This is the true teaching— the only de- 
finition of the word of God. 

The Great Work of the Church. 
It may be proper here to introduce the unfinished 
work of the church of God. That is the one thing 
of the uppermost importance to the people of God. 
Jesus said to the Father, ''I have finished the work 
which thou gavest me to do, "John, 17: 4. The work 
now to be done is 

Committed 
to the Holy Spirit to be accomplished through Christ's 
body — His church. Chiisj declared on the cross, 
John 19: 30, that His work (on earth) was finished. 
He performed no miracles before the public after His 
resurrection. All that He did was to convince Hi» 
followers of His identity — His resurrection. He 
made no converts, no missionary tours. His earthly 
ministry was finished. But the 

Great 
work of the world's evangelization had just begun. 
The commission, in fact, was not given until 
He was ready to ascend, Matt. 28: 16-20. It 
is from the throne that He is to witness the 
preaching of the gospel to "all nations." Who 
is to do the work ? The Holy Spirit through 
the church. The work to be done demands the for- 
ces and resources of the infinite and invisible God^ 
No human mind could plan it, no human hand could 
execute it, "vicar of Christ" need not be sought in 



THE CHURCH. 83 

haman form — for he cannot be found. 

The Office Work of the Holy Spirit. 

We readily see then why the bible is only a text- 
book containing the rudiments of religion and that 
the great problems of religion are to be worked out 
by God the Holy SpiritHimself. As Jesus only 

Inaugurated 
His work and left it here in the hands of the Holy 
Spirit, the Holy Spirit is to be looked to and relied 
upon to carry it to successful completion. As the 
church was left by her founder in an infantile state 
and before it closed doors and closed hearts, the 
gigantic undertaking of planting and establishing it 
in all lands must remain in the Lands of God. So 
Jesus left it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. And of 
Him its success is to become its crowning glory, and 
to Jesus the Holy Spirit brings the glory of His death 
in the fruit of mediatorship on the throne of His 
Father. So Jesus said, "He shall glorify me : for he 
shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." 
John 16: 14. He opens to us the riches of the Saviour, 
and, as of old, sets before us open doors, Acts 14: 27. 
He is letting us know to whom belongs the wealth of 
China, and has unbolted or is unbolting the doors of 
Japan. And so the wealth and honor and diadems of 
all nations are to deck His crown. "The Lord is 
King in Zion, He is the God of all the earth." Is. 51: 7. 

The Uses of the Bible. 
A text-book is put into the student's hands upon 
mathematics. Ho must first study the arithmetic or 
be taught it and after he has been taught and thor- 
oughly learned it he may discard the book which was 
intended as a help to acquire the principles, rules, 
and maxims of the science. There will always be 



84 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

need of the text-book because there will always be 
beginners and learners. We conclude the thou^bt 
in hand by applying it to tlie Bible. The Bible will 
be needed for beginners and learners unless they re- 
ceive the truth from the lips of others and then it will 
have its place as containing the deeds, command- 
ments, and providences of G.)d, and the siyin^ aniilo- 
ings of Jesus, &c. ,but to confine ourselves to the letter 
ol the Bible, forever discussing its teachings and doc- 
trines without apprehending its one great truth that 
is to bring us to God, is to misunderstand its real 
mission and fail to appropriate its one essential bene- 
fit and blessing to man. Jesus Himself came for this, 
John 14: 6. "1 am the way, the truth, and the life; 
no man cometh unto tlie Father, but by me." Jesus 
said to the people who were perishing about him^ 
'^'They have Moses and the prophets," Luke 16: 29, 
yet they did not hear them, Luke 16: 31. He wept 
over them, Luke 19: 41, and as He predicted, John 8^ 
24, they finally perished in their sins. If the word of 
God— 'the Scriptures— could have saved a nation, 
the Jews would not have perished in their sins. They 
had the letter, the text — the copy of the Old Testa- 
ment Scriptures, but that in itself did not suffice to 
save them. We still need the living message from 
the living God, proclaimed from the lips of living 
men to the living, and that message received and 
fully accepted. I believe still in the vei-bal proclama- 
tion of God's word, the truth coming from God and 
announced from human lips. The fountain from 
which it comes will never run dry. The Scriptures 
that we quote to show that God will never speak to 
men through man again do not prove it, in fact have 
no reference to it. For example, when we give Bev, 



THE CHURCH. 85 

22. 18. 10, to prove that the canon of Scripture is com- 
pleted vve simple misappropriate Scripture, for it has 
no reference whatever to that. It is not a warninc? 
to keep one from seeking to hear the voice of God and 
fro:ii becoming a vehicle of His message to men. It 
prohibits, however, interference with the things 
written in that specific book. We remember also, 
that the word of the Lord abideth forever, 1 Peter 1: 
25, His word stands — the word as already spoken, un- 
alterable, but it is not said anywhere that God will 
never speak to men again. He may never add anoth- 
er chapter to the Bible, but He will move the world 
through men. Whatever He does will be in harmony 
with what he has already done. There will never be 

Two 
conflicting Bibles and religions emanating from Him- 
self, He cannot deny Himself, neither can He con- 
tradict Himself, 

Again, it is said by some that the day of miracles 
is past, yet there is no Scriptural authority for the 
statement. It is true we do not know of any in the 
Scriptural sense being performed, yet the absence of 
miracles may argue a lack of faith more strongly 
than the withdrawal of miraculous power. It is not 
necessary for us to hedge in and build walls, fox ex- 
ample, as to the canon of Scriptures and miracles, 
where God has not built them, and when He has kept 
silent. Our fortifications may be erected at the wrong 
place and obstruct God's purpose instead of defend- 
ing His truth; man's duty is plainly in watching and 
waiting upon the Lord, and living by faith in Him, 
Hab. 2.- 14; Jer 10: 23; Mic. 6.- 8; Prov. 3.- 5, 6, and 
walking humbly with Him. 

Perhaps one of the mistakes made is taking things 



S6 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

for granted said and taught by others, without sub- 
jecting them to the crucial test of facts as they are 
instead of as they are said to be. Frequently there is 
a wide difference between what things are said to be 
and what they are. One's duty is to get at the facts. 
That may require the^revision. and often the rejec- 
tion of much existing theology. The enemies of 
Christ said He had a devil, John 7; 20. That is the 
way they saw him. Did they study Him and see 
Him as He was? They knew no more of His real 
character than if He had not been present befo^-e 
them, John 1." 10, yet they had the Scriptures that 
foretold His coming, John 5; 46, and with them, they 
were totally ignorant of the Being who stood before 
them, even to His disciples He must begin at Moses 
and expound to them in all the Scriptures the things 
concerning Himself, Luke 24.- 27. Home spun and 
home-made religion was far 

Too 
common among the Jews. They had a Saviour which 
was to come and a religion, but bot!i, unhappily, were 
largely of their own manufacture. They had built up 
a system — a code of their own — upon the word of God 
and that became their standard. Every thing must 
be judged, and stand or fall, by that. The creations 
of their own brains, the fanciful interpretations and 
traditions of the elders, made void the commandments 
of God, Matt. 15: 6. May not many to day, seriously 
and wisely 

Question 

the ground of their faith and practice ? Can they 
give a reason for the hope within them, 1 Pet. 3.15? 
Is it built solely upon the word of God or mainly up- 
on the interpretation of that word by them. Do we 



THK CHURCH. 87 

remember that we re personally responsible to God 
for what we believe and why we believe it? We read 
"So then every one of us shall give an account of him- 
self to God," Eora..l4: 12. We are judged as indivi- 
duals, we are responsible as individuals — individuals 
we stand or fall. 

It is possible to-day to have a religic»n, to be re- 
ligious, and yet be far from being a Bible Christian 
and believing and professing and practicing Bible 
Christianity. This being true, and no one who has 
studied the subject will 

Dare 
deny it, we can understand why it is said the day of 
miracles, and many other things, are passed and gone, 
for with many of those who say it, apostolic, primi- 
tive Bible religion is 

Past 
and gone. It is true what they have been taught and 
believe is taken from systems built up upon the Bible 

Bui not Out of the Bible. 
That is, much has been added and in other instances, 
human opinions substituted for the teaching of the 
word of God. The result is what men have believed 
and taught has in the course of time been believed 
and accepted by others, and made a part of their re- 
ligion. The time has come for the rejection of mere 
human belief and a return to following the Lord. 
God is maturing His plans and making ripe a people 
to carry them out. There will be a people dominated 
by God — made read}^ by the Holy Spirit who will ex- 
ecute His will. "If these" (w^ho have been appoint- 
ed) "hold their peace, the stones would immediately 
cry out," Luke 19: 40. Why ? "For I say unto you, 
that God is able of these stones to raise up children 



88 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD, 

unto Abraham," Matt. 3.- 9. ''Is there anything too 
hard for the Lord?" Jer. 32; 17, 27. Verily, no, let 
us think of His double amens, of His oath, swearin^j 
by Himself, Heb. 6; 13,14, by His own eternity, Num. 
14: 21, that His glory shall cover the earth as the 
waters cover the seas. It is then clearly improper to 
restrict the Lord as to what He is going to do, or put 
barriers in the way of one's faith, by teaching that 
God is not going to do what in all probability He^may 
do. In other words, when the Lord had remained sil- 
ent, at least it is better for man not to speak, for 
whatever he may say under the circumstances, willy 
at best, be a mere conjecture. We know that God is 
going to do a great deal that has not yet been done, 
but as to 

How 
He is going to do it is with Him. It is not for us to 
dictate but willingly an i gladly to submit to the 
Lord's way and to His plans. We have one of the 
Lord's double amens in John, 14: 12. That is a pro- 
phecy of what is to be done through His people. Id 
the accomplishment of the "greater works" through 
His people if He shall see fit to work miracles who 
shall say Him nay ? Who shall dictate to him ? Is, 
40.- 13 Jer. 23: 18; 1 Cor. 2: 16. 

After all, who need be surprised or wonder that 
many suppose the day of miracles past and gone for- 
ever ? Is not this the day in which the church is en- 
gaged in festivals, yard parties, oyster suppers, &c., 
&c., to help meet its financial obligations? Is not 
the outward — buildings, music, &c., — overshadowing 
the spiritual ? When will she awake to the supreme 
importance of religion? Who would have the termer- 
ity to run his farm, meet his obligations in the mer- 



THE CHURCH. 89 

rantile business, by holding festivals, yard parties, 
oyster suppers ? Would one be considered doing bus- 
iness on business principles ? What about the Lord's 
work when we resort to these expedients ? Is it not 
evident, in view of these facts, that religion is not 
the chief concern of mortals here below ? If it is, 

They are not Haking it so. 
Does the Lord need our money so badly that one must 
resort to these questionable means to supply His treas- 
ury ? In fact,Ms He getting 

Our 
money ? No, not when it is got from these sources. 
He who drove the money-changers from His temple 
(Matt. 21; 12) cannot be pleased with this money. 
If He is the God of whom we read (Ps. 50: 10; Hag. 2: 
9) it is not for His but our good that He requires us 
to give. This being true, one can readily see how re- 
sorting to these means mentioned to replemish the 
Lord's treasury, prostitutes the Bible idea of giving, 
and destroys all the good that He intends for it to 
produce in us ! Away with these substitutes for God's 
word and rule for giving ! Return to the Bible and 
study there the subject of giving. Let it convey to 
our minds God's purpose in commanding us to give, 
and then we will never have another yard party or 
festival to raise money. Who can say us nay to this 
assertion ? Ko one will have the courage to utter a 
word of protest against it. The truth of it is only too 
apparent to all who are willing to accept it and be 
governed by it. If we understand the Lord He is try- 
ing to develop 

Our 
faith in Himself making himself the center of our af- 
fections and the recipient of our gifts, Matt, 6: 21; 25: 



90 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

45. And yet He declares Himself to be the giver of 
every good and perfect gift, James 1: 17. What can 
we Pay then ? With David, "all things come of thee, 
and of thins own have we given thee", 1 Chron, 29: 
14. A return of all or a part of that which He has 
given us is a visible expression of our faith in Him. 
If we lay our all at His feet it is 

Proof Positive 
of our trust in Him. No one can give ^s did the wid- 
ow, of whom our Savior made mention, Mark 12: 42, 
43, 44), without faith in and reliance upon God. Per- 
haps there were children depending upon her but 
that was no obstacle in the way of the faith that had 
seen God. None could stop the upward glance of 
that power that impelled her. It was faith. Its 
every movement is toward God, it honors God. It is 
not afraid to trust Him and leave the result with Him. 
It knows Him and delights to please Him. It is a 
blessed fruit of Himself — of God the Holy Spirit, Gal 
5; 22, and not the product of nature's barren soil. It 
knows that God who fed His people upon manna in 

the wilderness (Deut. 8: 3; 15-18), who sent ravens to 
feed His prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17.- 46) and who 

through him declared to the widow of Zarephath, 
"The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the 
cruse of oil fail, until the day the Lord sendeth rain 
upon the earth" (1 Kings 17; 14). We need to-day, 
most of all. 

Pioneer 
faith— that believes whether it sees or not. That 
dares to trust God — not relying upon any feeling, but 
entirely upon God Himself. Believing in His naked 
word in Himself— God. This faith asks for no other 
evidence than God Himself. That is not the strong- 



THE CHURCH. 91 

est faith that must see signs and wonders before it 
believes, John 4: 48-50; 1 Cor. 14: 22. The highest ex- 
pression of faith asks for no signs — stands alone — 
without props — and walks without crutches. Its 
achievemc3nts are purely of faith — faith-victories. 
They are wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. 
The men who bring them to pass are moved mightily 
by the Spirit, Judges 6: 34; 3: 10; 11: 29; 15: 14. They 
are God's chosen instruments, empowered by Him 
and moved by Him to service. The spirit of God is 
upon them, working in them, and fitting them for 
service, Phil. 2: 13. To His servants thus equipped 
and harnessed for service. He says, "when thou pass- 
est through the waters, I will be with thee; and 
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: 
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be 
burned; neither shall the flames kindle upon thee," 
Is. 43: 2. *'They that wait upon the Lord shall re- 
new their strength; they shall mount up with wings as 
oagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall 
walk and not faint," Is. 40: 31. ''Neither shall the 
heat nor sun smite them," Is. 49: 10. Why? Because 
it is declared that man doth not live by bread alone 
but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth 
of God, Deut: 8: 3. We read of the angel feeding 
Elijah and of his going in the strength of that meat 
for forty days, 1 Kings 19: 5-8. It was declared that 
the journey was too great for him. God strengthened 
him. It was in His power he went. It is in the 

Might 
of the Lord that all victories are to be achieved. So 
it was in the Bible days, so it is to be in our days. 
Let us say with Jeremiah, 

"The Great, The Mighty 



92 . TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

God, the Lord of hosts is His name. Great in 
counsel, andmighty in work and doing," Jer. 38: 18, 
19. Isaiah, when he saw the Lord sitting upon 
His throne, after being cleansed from his iniquity, 
exclaimed, "Here am I; send^ me," Is. 6: 1-8. The 
greatness of God over-whelmed him. His purity 
humbled him. The live coal enthused him. The 
voice of God aroused him. He immediately volun- 
teered for divine service. The vision of God to Paul 
started him upon that intensely active career, Acts, 
chapters, 9,22, 26. Even Joseph was called the dream- 
er, Gen. 37: 19. His dreams came true. They were 

God=Qiven. 
Is not this a true characteristic of the Spirit's admin- 
istration? "And it shall come to pass in the last days, 
saith God, I will pour out of my spirii upon all flesh: 
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
and your young men shall see visions, and your old 
men shall dream dreams," Acts 2: 17. V^isions and 
dreams! The New Testament saints had them. 
They were of frequent occurence. They figured 
largely in the lives of some of the apostles. They 
are especially mentioned in connection with Peter 
and Paul, and who can forget John's on the Isle of 
Patmos? Is it not what we need to-day — the vision of 
God? a great deal is said about this being a 

Material 
age— the vision of God would relieve us of that and 
remove its effects. To the extent we see God, we as- 
similate His character and are made into His like- 
ness. The (His) birth-mark is upon us. We are 
known, for our citizenship is in heaven, Phil. 3: 20 
(R. v.). "This man was born there." And of Zion 
it shall be said, this and that man was born in her," 



THE CHURCH. 93 

Ps. 87: 4-6. It is soon known from whence one hails. 
If our citizenship is in heaven it is not unlikely or 
unnatural that we should have visions of heaven. 
To have glimpses or faith-views of the country in 
which we live is most natural and to be expected. 
Let us stop and reflect on how often God has 

Proclaimed 
Himself the Lord, "I am the Lord your God" (see 
Lev. chapters 18, 19, and Is. chapters 45, 46). The 
repetition ought to 

Burn 
the truth into one's heart. It is intended to do it. 
It is held up before us. "Thou God seest me," Gen. 
16: 13, should be converted into, I see God. What a 
privilege I "The God of our fathers has chosen thee 
that thou shouldst know His will, 

And shouldst see that Just One, 
and shouldst hear the voice of his mouth," Acts 22: 
14. "Blessed are the pure in heart, 

For they shall see God," 
Matt. 5: 8. What a misfortune to have 

Eyes and See not, 
ears and hear not. Is. 6: 9. What a glorious prophe- 
cy — "The eyes of the blind shall be opened" (Luke 
4: 18). Lord, "open thou mine eyes, that I may be- 
hold wondrous things out of thine law," Ps. 119: 18. 
Blind and deaf— a terrible condition, a lamenta.ble 
affliction! Balaam between two walls — a narrow 
pass, confronted by an angel with flaming sword, 
drawn, ready to execute the Lord's will upon him — 
blind ! Num. 22: 21-32. Lord, withhold not mine eyes 
from thee — from thy providences ! Let me see I Eli- 
sha's prayer for his servant (2 Kings 6: 17) is a com- 
mendable one. It is not in a natural but spiritual 



94 TAUGHT THE WILL oF GOD. 

sense in which we want to see Him. The Jews (as 
Ave have already seen) saw Christ with their natural 
eyes, yet they did not know Him. They saw Him 
and did not see Him — an unenviable paradox ! Matt. 
13: 14. To "see Him as He is" (1 John 3: 2) is an ines- 
timable blessing. To be beguiled as our first parent 
Eve was (2 Cor. 11: 3; 2 Tim. 2: 14) is to be the victim 
of untold evil to one's self and posterity. "Not ig- 
norant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2: 11) is a glorious at- 
tainment of spiritual wisdom. It enables its posses- 
sor to unmask the tranformed Satan (2 Cor. 11: 14) to 
see his real character and purpose. Who is it that 
desires such wisdom (?) let him ask for it. O for the 
conquering faith of Job (Job 19: 25, 26, 27) that over- 
came all difficulties and assured itself confidently of 
seeing God! Whether I die or not 

I shall see hitn. 
This is the boon of humanity. The greasest curse 
will be being driven from God. 

"Depart from Me," 
Matt. 25: 41. God's presence is everything. It turn- 
ed the Red Sea into dry land, the fiery furnace into 
"a haven of rest," and the lions' den into a peaceful 
abode, and made the jail at Philippi resound with 
praises to the risen Lord, Acts IB: 25. It quieted the 
angry sea until there was a great calm, Ex. 14: 21. 
Dan. 3: 25; 6: 22; Mnrk 4: 39. Let me fall into the 
hands of God, 2 Sam. 24: 14. The words, "Depart 
from me" — fall like sledge-hammer blows upon the 
soul, and beat out every vestige of the divine life, 
and echo its final doom. They lock the iron gates 
that mark the separation between God and the lost 
forever. Driven out, shut in a terrible doom. 

Paul says, "Wherefore comfort one another with 



THE CHUKCH. 95 

these words,"— "Then we which are alive and re- 
main shall be caught up together with them in the 
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: 

And so shall we ever be with the Lord," 

1 Thess. 4: 17, 18. 

The Effect of Giving. 
It is natural that giving should lead to God's gift, 
John 3: 16. In fact, God introduces Himself to us in 
giving. He gave man life, Gen. 2: 7. He prepared a 
world for him in which to dwell, and gave him do- 
minion over all which He made in it. Gen. 1: 28; Ps. 
8: 6; Heb. 2: 7, 8. He gave Adam Eve (Gen. 2: 18) 
and from that day to this has never ceased His giving 
to the human family. He has declared, "Give, and 
it shall be given unto you;" &;c., Luke 6: 38. "Free- 
ly ye have received, freely give," Matt. 10:8. "He 
which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, 
&c., 2 Cor. 9: 6. Iq the midst of giving Paul cries 
out, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift," 

2 Cor. 9: 15. In Romans (8: 32) it is declared, "He 
that spared not His own Son," &c. The early dis- 
ciples gave their all. Who need wonder then, that 
giving leads to God the Giver, and that in giving we 
see God ? This 

Self=Abaadonment 
in giving is like God and naturally leads one to Him. 
If one would see God let him cultivate systematically 
the habit of giving. "Upon the first day of the week 
let every one of you lay by him in store as God has 
prospered him," 1 Cor. 16: 2. What the world would 
call 

Reckless 
giving would help the conservatism of many so-called 
Christians of the present day. The spending of more 



96 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

money for tobacco than many professing Chrhtiaii^ 
are putting into the treasnry of the Lord will rise in 
the judgment as a witness against them. Paying 
more for tobacco than the gospel ! Who would have 
that go to judgment before him and witness against 
him ? Shall we 

Love 
tobacco more than God and give more for it than the 
salvation of souls? Serious thought! momentous 
question ! Let us "Awake to righteousness, and sin 
noc," 1 Cor. 15: 34. These statements are intended 
as suggestions — to stir us up to think. One charge 
the Lord brought against His ancient people — "My 
people do'uh not consider, "Is. 1: 3. It may be bi^ought 
against the most of us. 

Do not forget the Lord's maxim (axiom) — "The 
tree is known by its fruit," Matt. 7: 16-20; 12: 33. It 
is an infallible test. "Where your treasure is, there 
will your heart be also, "Matt. 6: 21. These are not a 
jungle of Scriptures thrown together at will(random) 
but the orderly presentation cf a great truth. They 
bring out the fact that those who see God give spon- 
taneously. Zaccheus represents this class, "Behold 
Lord, the half of my goods, I give to the poor; and if 
I have taken anything from any man by false accus- 
ation, I restore him fourfold," Luke 19: 8. The case 
in hand is a fulfilment of Prov. 19: 17. The Lord not 
only repays him ao^ain but declares, "This day is sal- 
vation come to this house, "Luke 19: 9. Giving places 
the giver in the proper attitude for receiving. The 
giving of the Holy Spirit to men was the cause of 
their emptying their all at the apostles feet at the 
church's disposal. The giving of the Holy Spirit on 
God's part, and the receiving of Him on man's part 



THE CHURCH. 97 

will be followed, as in the olden times, by spontane- 
ous giving. If God first gives and man receives, 
there will not be an empty church treasury. 'I will 
run in the way of thy commandments, when thou 
shalt enlarge my heart," Ps. 119: 32. The new wine 
will burst the old bottles, Matt. 9: 17, and the box of 
spikenard be broken on the master's feet, Mark 14: 3. 
The enlargement of heart will enlarge the collection, 
Ex. 65: 21; 25: 2. The modern methods of taking col- 
lections are dissimilar to apostolic ones. There is 
!io need of laboring with spirit-filled and led men in 
order to get them to give, but rather the opposite — re- 
strain them from giving, 2 Cor, 8: 1-4; Ex. 36: 5, 6, 7; 
Phil. 4: 14 19. Such a collection as this would be an 
object-lesson to modern congregations. It would be 
to them nothing short of a miracle. Does not this 
show the distance between the average Christian of 
to-day and those of pentecost ! Why the difference ? 
Do we 

Lack 
the Pentecostal type of religion ? are we retrograd- 
ing ? Have we retrograded ? It is time to call a halt I 
* 'Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; 
prove your own selves. Know ye not your own 
selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you [God's gift], 
except ye be reprobates ?" 2 Cor. 13: o. 

One's conduct is the index to his character — his 
real self. "By their fruits ye shall know them," 
Matt. 7: 20, This 

Clinging 
to worldly things and goods is a sign of decayed 
faith and departed spirituality. We need a revival of 
looking, "Not at the things which are seen, but at 
the things which are not seen; for the things which 

7 



98 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD, 

are seen are temporal; but the things which are no^ 
seen are eternal," 2 Cor. 4: 18. The greatness of 
Moses was due to his sight of the invisible. "He en- 
dured, as seeing Him who is invisible", Heb. 11:27, to 
the mortal eye, but present to the eye of faith. Steph- 
en said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the 
Son of man standing on the right hand of God, Acts 
7: 56. The heavenly mindedness — the true greatness 
of man depends upon his seeing God. This is so in 
giving. If one sees God in giving, the gift is blest, 
and the giver helped, otherwise it is a farce — a mean- 
ingless rite — an empty bubble. Some preachers 
then "taking a collection" are 

More suitable 
for a circus than the sanctuary. To maneuver and ma- 
nipulate on the part of a preacher, a congregation in 
tailing a collection, is unbecoming in the messenger of 
the Lord Jesus Christ and unworthy of the gospel. It is 
out of keeping with the character of his Lord and out 
of harmony with the spirit of His word. To get money 
from a congregation — like one milking a spiteful cow 
who must first chain her head and tie her feet, before 
undertaking to milk her, is more fitting for the repu- 
tation of a politician than a preacher ! It matters not 
how worthy the object or pressing the need, money 
should not be solicited and procured for it otherwise 
than God's word — or the spirit of it — doth allow. 
For example, missions and the importance of them 
cannot be exasrgerated — should be supported only 
in harmony with the spirit of the gospel. All 

Missionary 
activity should be conducted strictly along evangeli* 
cal lines. No digression whatever should be permit- 
ted from the general tenor and principles of the gos- 



THE CHURCH. 99 

pel. World-wide evangelization cannot be accom- 
plished except by compliance with God's plan. 
These plans are given and were unfolded in the days 
of Christ and His apostles. They are contained 
in the following Scriptures as applied to the 
church of to-day, Luke 10: 2; Acts 13: 2, 3, 
4. The order seems to be first, prayer for 
laborers to the "Lord of the harvest." Second, 
the prayer heard, the laborers called, appointed and 
sent, by the Holy G-host, the Lord's representative. 
If this order is preserved by the Church, we believe 
the money will be forthcoming that may be needed 
to bear the expenses of the missionaries. The Church 
waiting upon God until He sends the laborers should 
also wait for Him to give the money to defraj their 
expenses. The command of the master is "Go" 
(Matt. 28: 19), but His other command, "Tarry" 
(Luke 24:49) is as equally imperative. Both consid- 
ered together make the divine order, preparatory to 
one's being called and sent forth into God's vineyard, 
imperative "prayer," and "sent forth by the Holy 
Ghost." Let this order be observed and everything 
else will follow as night day in the physical 
world. Let us study the 

First Age 
of the church as an evangelizing institution. How 
did God's plan work ? What did those men — for 
whom the church prayed and the Holy Spirit sent, — 
accomplish ? Did they succeed ? To read the frag- 
mentary account of their labors is simply marvelous. 
We know very little of what many of them did and 
yet the record, as we have it, is filled with astonish- 
ing results accomplished through their labors. A 
full record of their labors would be almost incredu- 



L.ofC. 



100 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

lous ! It would read like a romance of the intensest 
fiction. "Truth is stranger than fiction." 

For these men God was responsible. Prayer had 
been offered for workm^i, God heard it and sent the 
men. They were 

His 
laborers and He was responsible for their support and 
success, 1 Cor. 9: 7. He had involved Himself in 
their call to the work, John 15: 16. It could not be 
otherwise but that He was with them. His own, 
carrying out His own commission. What is the 
sequel of this ? That if the church — the Lord's body 
— wants to carry out the Lord's command, for exam- 
ple, in the evangelization of China, let her pray for 
laborers to evangelize China, and pray until God 
sends the workmen. These laborers — God-called 
and sent — will have every assurance of success. Di- 
vinely called, divinely sent, divinely qualified— what 

Elements 
of success can be lacking ? The equipment is perfect 
and the outcome sure. To these workers there can 
be no defeat, no failure. 

In death there are victorious ! They may be 
martyrs to the truth— but the truth lives — ^has in it- 
self the element of perpetuity, the germ of immortal- 
ity, Jesus Christ Himself and many of His disciples' 
were martyrs to the truth, but that for which they 
died — 

The Truth, 
is living on and winning its votaries in every clime. 
God Himself is the God of truth, Deut. 32: 4; Ps. 31:5: 
Truth is one of His attributes and is perennial. 

It may be that the church will have to wait and 
wrestle mightly in prayer for these laborers to b€? 



THK CHURCH. 101 

sent but who will say that, that is not tlie thing for 
her to do ? Who can deny oar unfitness for service if 
our undertaking it prematurely, Num. 14: 40-45. 
Even in the Old Testament the Spirit of God came on 
men for service, Judges 3: 10. 6: 34; 11: 29; 15: 11. 
An equipped and qualified army will do more in a day 
than an ignorant and cowardly one in a lifetime. 
Of God's chosen people, "One shall chase a thousand 
and two put ten thousand to flight, "Deut. 32:30. One 
of God's men is a host in Himself, 1 Sam. 14: 6-45; 
Judges 7: 4, 7; 2 Chron. 14: 11. 

God marshals His forces to-day, not 

Against 
men but sin. The destruction of sin is the ultimate 
aim of the kingdom of God, 1 John 3: 8, If men 
shall lose their lives or souls it is owing to their un-, 
ion with wickedness, and refusing to be divorced from 
it. The Saviour explicitly says,'*For the Son of man 
is not come to destroy men's lives but to save them," 
Luke 9: 56; John 12: 47. The 

Mission 
of His people — the church — is soul-saving, ''Let him 
know that he which converteth the sinner from the 
error of his way shall save a soul from death, and 
hide a mulitude of sins," James 5: 20. "Let him 
know" — speak it out ! a barren ministry is a Christ- 
less ministry, "Herein is my Father glorified, that- 
ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples," 
John 15: 8. A church or preacher without fruit need 
to question her or his orthodoxy. Whatever 

Fails 
in its mission is in itself a failure. 

It is at this point one is to urge upon the minis- 
try apostolic succession. This is the succession that 



102 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

counts in the Scriptural table of genealogy, Matt, ch.l 
and Luke 3: 23 — 38. It is here we should trace our de- 
scent back to our Lord and His apostles. Are we in 
good and regular standing here? If so we need not 
fear the missing historical links. There is a direct 
connection between us and the living God. The proof 
of this is the salvation of souls. 

These 
are our credentials. "Ye are our epistles written in 
our hearts, known and read of all men." Forasmuch 
as je are manifestly declared to be the epistles of 
Christ 

Ministered 
by us, written not with ink, but the spirit of the liv- 
ing God; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly tab- 
les of the heart," 2 Cor. 3: 2, 3. The thought is 
summed up in, "For not he that commendeth him- 
self is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth,"' 
2 Cor. 10: 18. If we have 

God's 
endorsation, that goes despite of everything that op- 
poses, and whatever else we may have without it 
amounts to nothing. His endorsation is in the "liv- 
ing epistles" in the incarnated Bible written up to 
date in the hearts and upon the lives of men. The 
new Bible, latest edition, revised, corrected, and pub- 
lished to the world — the work of the Holy Spirit in 
the hearts and upon the lives of men — is the preacher's 
highest recommendation of being sent of God to be a 
fisherman of men. Matt. 4: 19. This is the Bible of 
the Holy Spirit's writing. Every preacher should 
have an individual copy of it, a testimonial of his 
ife-work, presented to him by God the Holy Spirit, 
Such Bibles as these will confound the "higher crit- 



THE CHURCH. 103 

ics," as the testimony of the man, vvlio was born 
blind and given his sight by Jesus confounded the 
Pharisees See the account of it in John ch. 9. 
This is the dink of testimony needed. These 

Dry=as.Dust=Treatises — 
on the evidences of Christianity amount to a very 
little and convince very few if any. The presence of 
living witnesses is evidence within itself undeniable 
and irrefutable, Acts 4: 1-1. Our Lord Himself re- 
ferred the people to His works as His credentials 
from the skies, John 5: 37; 10; 25, 38; 8: 54, and the 
favors in which he was held by His Father in Heav- 
en. It was convincing to all who were open to con- 
viction. "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher 
come from God: for no man can do these miracles 
that thou doest except God be with him," John 3: 2. 
"Among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; 
but because of the Pharisees they did not confess 
Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:" 
"For they loved the praise of men more than the 
praise of God, John 12: 42, 43. What is said here is 

The Key 
to what has been said elsewhere in this book upon 
the Bible. 

Let not the pulpit continue to discourse simply up- 
on the text of the Bible, but catch its enlarged vision 
and prophetic spirit and enter heartily into the un- 
finished work of the church of the divine and exalted 
Saviour. It is by thus doing that the great mission- 
ary work of the church is to be launched and em- 
barked on a successful voyage. Let the motto of the 
church henceforth be — deeds not words. Let her 
bring her Lord's work to pass. Hear what He says 
to her, "Ask me of things to come concerning my 



104 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

sons, and concerning the work of my hands com- 
mand ye me," Is. 45 : 11. And read that frequently 
repeated, ''Fear not, I will help thee," Is. 40 : 13. 

World Wide 
evangelization has been God's purpose from the be- 
ginning. It is found all through the Bible. The 
Old Testament is full of it, Gen. 22: 18; Num. 14: 21> 
Is. 55: 5; 60: 5; Ps. 2: 8; 72: 11; 86: 9; Jer. 4: 2; 10: 7; 
Zeck. 2: 11: 8: 22; Mai. 3: 12; etc. 

The future of the church is full of promise. God 
is pledged to work in her behalf. We hear again, 
His ''Fear not,''' in the New Testament, little flock, 
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the 
kingdom," Luke 12: 32. He as the old adage goes, 
has not left a stone unturned. Glorious success must 
attend His peoples' labors. The statement is made, 
(1 Cor. 15: 25), "For he 

Must 
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 
He Himself is under a necessity. Not to reign until 
His kingdom is fully established would be to fail in 
His mission. That would give His enemies occasion 
to revile and reproach Him, Num. 14: 16; Josh. 7: 8, 9p 
Luke 14: 28—35. The law that controls Him is inex- 
orable. It is of His own appointing, John 10: 17, 18. 
It is a self-surrendered life given to fulfild a self-im- 
posed mission. While it is true the Father gave 
(John 3: 16) the Son, it is also true, "Who gave him- 
self a ransom for all, to be testified in due time," 
1 Tim. 2: 6; Gal. 2: 20. It seems to us the inspiration 
of this truth ought to make the church shout hosan- 
nas from every hill-top. 

Satan himself is a conquered foe, as we have pre- 
viously seen, and death's dominion is abolished. The 



THE CHURCH. 105 

church should march on to viclory— speedy victory. 
The two exhortations given by Isaiah seem lo be 
especially appropriate here: ''Awake, awake, put 
on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the an- 
cient days, ill the generations of old." "Art thou 
not it that hath cut Rahab? Art thou not it that hath 
dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; and hath 
made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed 
to pass over." Therefore the redeemed of the Lord 
shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and 
everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall 
obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning 
shall flee away." Is. 51: 9, 10, 11. Again, "Awake, 
awake, put on thy strength O Zion; put on thy beau- 
tiful garments O Jerusalem, the holy City: for hence- 
forth there shall no more come into thee the uncir- 
cumcised and unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; 
arise and sit down, Jerusalem: loose thyself from 
the hands of thy neck, O Captive daughter of Zion. 
For thus saith the Lord, ye have sold yourselves 
for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without 
money. For thus saith the Lord God, My people 
went down aforetime into Egypt to sojurn there, 
and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 
Kow therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, 
that my people is taken away for nought, they that 
rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; 
and my name continually every day is blasphemed. 
Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore 
they shall know in that day that I am that doth speak; 
behold, it is I. How beautiful upon the mountains 
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that 
publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, 
that publisheth salvation, that sayeth unto Zion, thy 



106 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

God 

reigaeth! Thy watchman shall lift up the voice; 
with the voice together shall they sing: for they 
shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again 
Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye 
waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath com- 
forted. He hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord 
hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the 
nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the 
salvation of our God." Is. 52: 1-10. The church at 
this time has come to her 

Red Sea. 
She should recognize in God her deliverer, and call 
mightily upon Him for a passage through the deep. 
As God moves let her move. Then she shall pass 
over dry shod and come forth with singing and 
shouts of hosannas and hallelujahs of praii^e unto her 
God. O that the church may 

Rise 
en masse and call upon her God, and Jacob-like (Gen. 
32: 26) not let him go until He has made her the joy 
of the whole earth: Ps. 48: 2; Lam, 2: 15. The church 
thus aroused and awakened would be, the fulfilling 
of Ezekiel's prophecy found in the 37 chapter. The 
present state of the church is fitly described in that 
chapter. She is spiritually inactive. The activity 
seen in operation is not, strictly speaking, spiritual. 
The 

Great 
cry is for millions of money to endow institutions of 
learning. The trend, evidently, is in the wrong direc- 
tion. Not that we undervalue education, but protest 
against its being placed foremost. A great revival 
of religion would secure the money and be in accord 



THE CHURCH. 107 

with God's order. The churches are trying to raise 
the money tirst and then work up a revival. They 
want the revival to follow the giving, whereas in 
God's order, he puts the revival first and the giving 
follows the revival. 

As we have said then, the great activity of the 
church to-day, strictly speaking, is not spiritual. The 
church wants something to shake her up and wake 
her up spiritually. She needs something like that ex- 
hortation in Ephesians, said to be a fragment of one 
of the early Christian hymns, "Awake thou that 
sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
give thee light," Ephes. 5: 14. Such a song as this 
sung through all Christendom and heeded would re- 
sult in a mighty revival in the home lands and a 
mighty impetus to the truth abroad. Why not sing 
such a song, heed such a song, and preach such a 
song, until all the nations of the earth shall be chant- 
ing its melody and rejoicing in the light and life of 
Christ ? Y/ho will 

Strike 
the tune ? It may be a solo at first but others will 
join in the chorus, and after awhile a mighty volume 
of music will fill the earth. The angels sung (Luke 
2: 13, 14) His praise at first but let us say with the 
Psalmist, ''Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise 
him, who is the health of my countenance, and my 
rod," Ps. 42: 11. Despite the combined forces of earth 
and hell we shall sing, ''Unto Him that loved us, and 
washed us from our sins in His own blood, and 
hath made us kings and priests unto God and His 
Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and 
ever, Amen." Rev. 1.- 5, 6. Glorious anthem, let it 
fill earth and ascend to the skies! Let earth vie with 



108 TAUGHT THK WILL OF GOD. 

heaven to do the master's will. Let us remember how- 
ever that appeal to God, its importance, "Arm of the 
Lord awake," etc. '*Thy people shall be willing in 
the day of thy power," Ps. 110: 3. "The Lord shall 
send the rod of thy strength out of Zion," Ps. 110: 2. 
"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, 
that power belongeth unto God," Ps. 62: 11. He 
heard it from God Himself that power belongs unto 
Him. The church will be as still as Lazarus in his 
tomb unless she hears the voice of the Master calling 
loudly, "come forth," John 11; 43. What is the 

Programme, 
then, that we would outline for the 20th century 
thank-offering ? Not, primarily, the raising of mil- 
lions of dollars, but a return to the Lord's order of 
doing His work. We would pat on the programme, 

First, 
prayers to the Lord of the harvest for laborers. Sec- 
ond, waiting on him until the prayers is heard and 
the laborers sent. Third, the evangelization of the 
world carrying out the Lord's command, Luke 10: 2; 
24; 49; Acts 13: 4;Matt. 28: 19, 20. The last follows the 
other two. We are trying to evangelize the world 
without prayer, that is, without prayer in God's way. 
We are trying too much to do God's w^ork in our own 
way. The church is sending out more men from her 
colleges and universities than from her prayer- meet- 
ings and preaching services. Too often their first 
commission to "Go," is from the church, whereas it 
should be from God, John 15; IG. God should first 
choose the man before the church has anything to do 
with sending him. His authority at 

First Hand 
should be from God and not a body of men. Upon 



THE CHURCH. 109 

whom must the man sent rely for his message— God 
or the church ? If upon God, evidently God should 
send him. 

Sometime since the question arose in our mind, 
to what extent shall the minister, called of God and 
sent by Him to preach, rely upon him for the text 
from which to preach? Our answer to the question 
is wholly in the affermative. And not only for the 
text but for the entire sermon when based upon a 
text. There may be times when God gives the mes- 
sage without a text. And not only is it proper for 
the preacher to rely upon the Lord for the text^and 
the message — but also the congregation to whom to 
deliver it. In this way he can preach to small as 
well as large congregations. He is not discouraged 
by the presence of a few (Matt. 18: 20), nor over-awed 
or elated by the presence of many. He sees God's 
hand in it which ever way it may be and he proceeds 
to do God's will regardless of whatever that may be. 
He can preach, and that without notes, whereever he 
finds souls without hope and without God in the 
world, Ephes. 2: 12. He is not confined to the pulpit 
or rostrum from which to make appeals to men. He 
can preach Christ and Him crucified, 1 Cor. 2: 2, from 
a goods-box as well as in the finest cathedral in the 
land. And this he can do despite the state of his 
audience — whether illiterate or cultured — Christ is 
held up to them — the universal man — the Saviour of 
all men who believe upon His name. Is. 45: 22; John 
12: 32; Rom, 10: 12; Ephes. 3: 15; Gal. 3: 28; 1 Cor. 12: 
13, &c. In this sense, He belongs to no race or age 
but belongs to all races and ages — to all men of all 
times and all places. This is the main-spring of all 
missionary movement. The first recorded sermon of 



110 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

Jesus, by Luke, is drawn from the missionary labors 
of two of His prophets— Elijah and Elisha, Luke 4: 
25, 26, 27. When the Jews refused to accept (Luke 
4: 24) the prophets whom the Lord had sent unto them 
He shows His purpose to save all them that believe, 
by sending His prophets to persons of other nations. 
To Paul He said, *'I will send thee far hence unto the 
Gentiles,"Acts 22: 21. There is nothing in race 

Itseif 
to keep God v/ith it. The dispersion of the Jews is 
proof of it. We will all learn as did Peter, sooner or 
latter, that God is no respecter of persons, Acts 10: 
34. LTnless those who are called Christians live up to 
their privileges and responsibilities it is not improba- 
ble that those who are heathen at present may be 
sending in the future the gospel to the once so-called 
Christian lands. Fancy an African or Chinaman a 
missionary to England or America! Some of the most 
enlightened and Christianized lands of Bible times 
are mission fields to-day. Rev. 1: 11. 

Missionary Grouod. 
This territory is now Missionary ground. There is 
a note of warning in the old adage, ''History repeats 
itself." Hear Paul to the Jews : — "It was neces- 
sary that the word of God should first have been 
spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and 
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we 
turn to the Gentiles," Acts 13: 46. There are several 
lessons for us to learn here — the preaching the gospel 
to all men does not necessarily 

Mean 
the salvation of all men. The wilful rejection of the 
Gospel when it has been faithfully presented may de- 
mand that the ambassadors of the Lord go to another 



THE CHUKCH. Ill 

place and people. .Swift retribution may follow the 
rejection of the gospel. It did in the case of the Jews 
we know of their sufferings and of the des^truction of 
their city— Jerusalem. That individual's and nation's 
probation may 

End 
when they little think it and least expect it. That 
individuals and nations get on a dead-center where 
theycannot be moved — pass over the dead-line and are 
doomed. We read of those people of whom it is said, 
'•Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness," 
&c., Rom. 1: 24, 26. When God 

Gives 
a man or nation up their cases are hopeless. "When 
they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruc- 
tion Cometh upon them; and they shall not escape." 
1 Thess. ^: 3. That such has been the case with mul- 
tiplied individuals and nations both sacred and pro- 
fane history only too abundantly testify. Jesus 
told the Jews, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall 
die in your sins," John 8: 24. Again, "Ye shall seek 
me, and shall not find me; and where I am thither ye 
cannot come," John 7: 34. The perpetuity of nations 
depends upon their acceptance of Jesus Christ. 

The clash between capital and labor may find re- 
conciliation here. All sociological questions be- 
come explicable and transparent around the person 
of Christ. He is the great commoner, leveler, the re- 
mover of obstacles and the unifier of the race. We 
can readily see why the question of the age is the 
question of missions — of the Christ. One has said, 
"No missions, no Christ". No missions, no church, 
no equality and justice among men, no righting of the 
wrongs and the establishment of equity in the earth. 



112 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

The divine fiat — the unalterable decision of Diety is, 
"And this gospel of the kingdom 

Shall 
be preached in all the world for a witness unto all 
nations; and then shall the end come," Matt. 24: 14. 
And the gospel 

Must 
first be published among all nations," Mark 13: 10. 
The nations need it and God has determined to give 
them the gospel. There will be no judgment until 
the gospel has been preached the world over. We 
may pra\^ and look for the coming of the Saviour but 
it willnot take place until the world has been evangel- 
ized. It we want Him to come we 

Must 
preach the gospel — preach to all men, preach it in 
season and out of season (2 Tim. 4: 2), preach it wheth- 
er men will hear or forbear (Ezek. 2: 5), believe or 
disbelieve it,[aceept or reject it. The command is, 
preach it. The thing for the minister and thd church 
to do is, to see that they preach it. They are under 
obligations to Christ to preach it. They are responsi- 
ble not for the result, but for the preaching of it. The 
church should be true to her duty and carry out as 
speedily as possible her Lord's commission. Let 
her rally around Matt. 28: 19, until the name of Jesus 
shall have been spoken to every heart and in every 
home throughout the universe. 

Let every one catch the inspiration of Charles 
Wesley's hymn, "O for a thousand tongues to sing, 
my great redeemer's praise." A feeling like this 
would give us a Avorld evangelized on 

Short 
notice. Of Jesus His disciples remembered that it 



THE CHURCH, IH 

waB written, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me 
up," John 2: 17, Consuming zeal for God's cause and 
quenchless d-esire for the salvation of souls would 
give the missionary movement such an impetus that 
It would go forward with rapid strides, and the next 
one or two decades would witness manifest and mar- 
velous changes that would surprise the most sanguine 
and dumb-found the unbelieving and skeptical in 
missionary work. Before such a tide of ethusiasm 
as this, difficulties would disappear and wonderful 
achievements follow. The keynote would be, *'0 
Lord, revive thy work,"Hab 3: 2, and the watchword 
Onward' "the uttermost parts ol the earth," Acts 1:8. 

May the Lord give us a revival that will encircle 
the globed It must start somewhere. Let it start in 
my heart here and now. What can I do to promote 
it, so it may become world-wide ? Am I doing any- 
thing that would hinder it, or leaving undone any- 
thing that would promote it ? 

These are serious questions for man's considera* 
tion. On God's part we read "Faithful is He that 
calleth you who also will do it," 1 Thess, 5: 24. "My 
presence shall go with you," Ex. 33: 14. "And, lo, I 
am with you always, even unto the end of the world," 
Matt. 28: 20. Let us turn these driving wheels of di- 
vine promises into the full assurance of faith and re- 
volve with lighting speed in our 

Appointed 
orbit of the world's evangelization ! to revolve 
around Christ as the planets around the sun ! To feel 
the force of His attraction, John 12; 32. To move 
with the rapidity of His dying love I To lay down 
our lives if need be for one another, 1 John 3: 17. To 
spend and be spent for men's suuls, 2 Cor. 12: 15. To 

8 



114 TAUGHT the: WILL OF GOP. 

know t fie love of Chri^it which passeth knowledge, 
(E'phes. 3^v 19^)^ and t0 be constrained thereby, 2 Cor. 5: 
1#,.and* strengthened in Him, Phil. 4^ la. The revival 
©f interest in the 

Soul'^s Salvatroif 
Is the need of the hour. ''But that ye may know 
Ihat the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive 
sins [He saith to the sick of palsy J, I say unto thee, 
arise, and take thy bed, and go thy way into thine 
house, '^ Mark 2r 10, 11. Perhaps it would have been; 
easier for Jesus to heat the man's body than to for- 
give his sins. It would not have required but a word 
to heal the material body, but it required sacrifice — - 
reparation — to forgive sin. It may be that the church 
will have to learn to-day that simply relieving peo- 
ples^ outward distresses without any cost or sacrifice 
to themselves will not do — -is not all that God require© 
at their hand. We must get at the meaning of hu- 
man need and put ourselves in touch with it before 
we can lead humanity to the Christ. The great need 
of humanity is within. Matt. 15: 18, W. The healing 
is to be from within outward — first the soul and there 
the body. This is God^s order and command, Matt. 6; 
33. If a man is truly brought to Jesus and saved^ 
that in itself will be a great blessing to him tempo- 
rally and physically. That is God''s way — that the 
soul-life shall dominate the temporal and physical 
life. The body is the 

Servant 
of the soul— not master, 1 Cor, 9: 27. The thing to 
magnify is the soul-life, Matt. 10: 28; 16: 26; Luke 9: 
25. We should try to get a just estimate of the value 
of a soul. What did our Master think of it ? We 
know in part by His teaching, Matt. 12: 12; Luke 15: 



THE CHURCH. 115 

4 32. By His death, John 10: 15. By His resurrec- 
tion and intercession, Acts 2: 81-33; 5: 30, 31; 1 John 2^ 
1. Primarily the work of soul-satving is His own and 
only work, John 1: 12; Matt. 1: 21. Sin is the 

Only 
thing that makes men unhappy. Destroy that and 
you have destroyed the cause of all th« misery in the 
world, 1 John 3: 8. Sin destroys the souL Christ 
destroys sin. 

We might inquire, in the next place, what did 
those whom Christ had saved think of the value of 
souls? Hear what the great apostle to the gentiles 
has to say about his countrymen: — "Brethren, my 
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that 
they might be saved," Rom. 10c 1, *''ForI could wish 
that myself were accursed from Christ for my breth- 
ren, my kinsmen according to the flesh," Rom. 9: 3- 
None of these things move me, neither count I my 
life dear unto myself, so that I miglit finish my course 
with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of 
the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of 
God," Acts 20: 24. "In labors more abundant, in 
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in 
deaths oft. Of the Jews five times I received for- 
ty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, 
once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwrech, a 
night and a day I have been in the deep. In jour- 
neyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of rob- 
bers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by 
the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wil- 
derness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false 
brethren. In weariness and painfulness, in watch- 
ings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in 
cold and nakedness. Besides those things that 



116 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOT>. 

are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the 
care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am 
not wyak? Who is offended/ and I burn not? If I 
must needs glory, I will glory of the things which 
concern mine affirmities. The God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore,, 
knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus, the govornor 
under Aretas the king, kept the city of the Damasce- 
nes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: 
and through a window in a basket was I let down 
by the wall, and escaped his hands,'' 2 Cor. 11: 23-33. 
What a record I What love for his countrymen ! and 
remember he was the 

Apostle to the Gentiles 
— not Jews, 

And what estimate does truly regenerate souls 
of this agCy as well as that of the apostles, place up- 
on the souls of the unsaved? Has Christian experi- 
ence chang^ed? Does religion prompt us to-day to try 
to save the lost? Are we ready to obey the command: 
—"Go home to thy friends, and tell them ho-w great 
things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had com- 
passion upon thee," Mark 5: 19.? We will remember 
the promptings of our own heart when we were saved, 
how the first impulses of our new life were to rescue 
the lost. 

We believe in addition to the desire to save souls 
given in conversion, that there is a 

Receiving 
of the Holy Spirit for service. God gives Him and 
man receives Him definitely and intellgently (know- 
ingly) as preparation for service. We have already 
emphasized the importance of tarrying until endued 
with power from on high. We might mention here 

8a 



THE CHURCH, 117 

that the apostles were Christians when the Holy 
Spirit came upon them. He did not come on them 
to save them but fit them for service. So in regard to 
the Samaritans mentioned in Acts 8: 12, In 17th 
verse, we are told that these believers received the 
Holy Ghost. It is a clear case that the Holy Spirit 
did not come upon these apostolic Christians for sal- 
vation, but service. It is also equally clear, that if 

they 

Needed 

the Holy Spirit to come upon them definitely for ser- 
vice that will do. There is no getting away from this 
conclusion. If anything, they had the adv^antage of 
us as many of them had been eye witnesses of His 
majesty, 2 Pet. 1: 16. I do not believe it is stating the 
case too strongly to say: We need more than this if 
such a thing is possible, the baptism of the Holy 
Spirit for service. Who is it that has not felt his 
weakness, his dependence when engaged in the 
Lord's work? Who has not felt his limitations when 
he could not go any further — nor do anything? Who 
has not cried out, "who is sufficient for these things?" 
2 Cor. 2: 16. Hear again the apostle, "Our sufficiency 
is of God," 2 Cor. 3: 5. Now can we say this unless 
we have received the Holy Spirit for service ? 

We have seen that the apostles had this special 
preparation for service. We unhesitatingly say, 
men must have the baptism of the Holy Spirit to-day 
for service or be very poorly prepared to do their 
Lord's work. It is not 

Optional 
with Christians as to whether they receive the Holy 
Spirit for service or not. They are commanded to re- 
ceive Him, John 20: 22. They should not rest satis- 



118 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOJJ. 

fied until tbej know of a truth that they have re- 
ceived Him. We are saved to serve. Whatever pre- 
pares us for service must be heartily sought and cer- 
tainly found. The Holy Spirit has been so manifest- 
ly promised as the needed qualification for service in 
God's word, and so manifestly received by tho^e to 
whom He was promised in Bible tiraeSy that there 
should not be a shadow of doubt in the mind of any 
as to His availability to us and our times. What is 
the conclusion oP the whole matter ? The Holy Spirit 
comes on the unsaved man in conviction and regen- 
eration for salvation, and upon the regenerate man 
for service, and that it is the Christian's bounden 
duty to seek for the Holy Spirit until he has found 
Him. 

The relation of faith to the 

Bestowal 
of the Holy Spirit should be considered, A word or 
two in reference to faith will be in place here. There 
are degrees in faith^ so we read of great faith and lit- 
tle faith, and of Abraham being strong in faith, and 
of the gift of faith. Matt. 8: 10, 26; 14: 31; Rom. 4r 20; 
1 Cor. 12: 9» In some instances persons were blessed 
according to their faith, Matt. 8: 13; 9: 29: In other 
instances it is said, "Thy faith hath made thee 
whole," Matt. 9: 22; 15: 28. We also have justifying 
faith, Rom. 5: 1, and a long list of those who ''by 
faith," Heb., chapter 11, wrought wonders. And, 
then, we have, "the prayer of faith shall save the 
sick," James 5: 15. So we find faith related to man 
from any point you may consider him. Faith is that 
faculty of the soul bywhich it 

Sees 
God and relies upon Him, John 12: 38; Heb. 11: 6. To 



THE dHURCH, 11^.) 

tlie believers God is revealed. Faith makes God ac- 
cessible. To the believer only is He accessible. To 
the unbeliever He is unapprochable and inaccessible. 
Unbelief shuts God out and hinders His gracious de- 
signs, Mark tells us, ''and He could there do no 
.mighty work, save He loid His hands upon a few 
sick folk, and healed them," Mark 6: 5, Why ? Be- 
cause of their unbelief. Listen, *'He marvelled be- 
cause of their unbelief," Mark 6,- 6, Hear what He 
said on another occasion, ''If thou canst believe, all 
things are possible to him that believeth," Mark 9: 23, 
There is no barrier in the way of faith. It sees and 
wields omnipotence. The omnipotence of faith is in 
the omnipotence of God, Hear our Saviour instruct- 
ing His disciples: — "Have faith in God," Mark 11: 22. 
The potency of it depends upon its being in God, If 
it is misplaced, it disappoints, 1 King 18; 26-29. Now, 
the relation of faith to the bestowal of the Holy Spir- 
it, leads us to reverse the subject, the relation of the 
Holy Spirit to faith. Faith is a fruit of the Holy 
Spirit, GaL 5: 22, We read of "prophesy according 
to the proportion of faith," Rom. 12; 6, and "accord- 
ing as God has dealt to every man the measure of 
faith," Rom. 12: 8, coupled with these is Ephes. 2: 8, 
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that 
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." What is ? 
Faith is — "the gift of God." It is evident from the 
statement made in Rom, 12: 3, "according as God 
hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" that 
men should be 

Governed 
by their God-given ability. Some men try to do too 
much — undertake more than they can accomplish. 
Perhaps, some undertake to do that for which they 



120 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GO I?. 

have no- God-given capacity and in the end fail^ or 
resort to= nteans to accomplish their ends that bring- 
reproach upon the cause they seek to promote. The 
thing for every man to do is to find out God^s v^ill as 
to the work He would have him do, and then in His 
strength do it. The faith in us that leads us to re- 
ceive the Holy Spirit is produced in us by the Holy 
Spirit Himself. "^When JesBS saw their faith," Mark 
2-: 5, ''the same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly 
beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to» 
be healed, said with a loud voice, stand upright on 
thy feet. And he leaped and walked/' Acts 14: 9, 10: 
*'For Esaias saith,^ Lord, who hath believed our re- 
port ? Bo then faith coraeth by hearing, and hear- 
ing by the word of God/' Rom. 10: 16, 17. The Holy 
Spirit uses the word of God as the instrument through 
which He produces faith in man in God. That is, the 
word is the usual medium through which He com- 
municates Himself to man. He blesses the word — 
its teachings, its doctrines. He makes believers 

Bible Christians 
— not antiquated ones^ fossilized, but'living ones up- 
to-date. We believe in Bible Christians, but up-to- 
date ones. 

It is vastly important for us to understand the 
often-mentioned subject,faith, its relation to the Holy 
Spirit and the relation of the believer to it. Just how 
far we are responsible for our 

Lack 
of faith, littleness of faith, or greatness of faith is no 
small matter. It doth appear that faith is an 

Attribute 
of man^s renewed nature. It does not belong to the 
natural man, "No man can say that Jesus is tHe 



THE CHURCH. 121 

Lord but by the Holy Ghost," 1 Cor. 12: 3. What is 
faith then but the effect of God in us, the echo of His 
voice, the response of the soul to God the Holy Spirit ? 
To what extent the Holy Spirit is the ^ift of God in- 
dependent of man himself may not be debatable, as 
God and man in Christ are closely and vitally relat- 
ed. It is well for us to remember however that He 
may be grieved, Ephes. 4: 30, and that an apostolic 
exhortation is, "quench not the Spirit," 1 Thess. 5: 
19. Again, we read, "So then faith cometh by hear- 
ing and hearing by the word of God," Rom. 10: 17. 
''Take heed how ye hear." Luke 8: 18. Man's re- 
sponsibility comes in here. "Therefore we ought to 
give the more earnest heed to the things which we 
have heard, lest at any time we should let them 
slip," Heb. 2: 1. In the next verse he tells why we 
should pay attention, "For if the word spoken by 
angels was steadfast, and every transgression and 
disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salva- 
tion; which at the first began to be spoken by the 
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard 
him; God also bearing them witness, both with 
signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and 
gifts of the Holy Ghosi, according to His own will," 
Heb. 2: 2, 3, 4. In Heb. 1: 1, 2, we are told, "God, 
who at sundry times and in divers manners, 

Spake 
in times past unto the fathers by the prophets. 
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His son."- 
^^O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: 
O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in 
the midst of the years make known; in wrath remem- 
ber mercy," Hab. 3: 2. This is the effect God's word 



122 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOP, 

should have upon us, the impression and change it 
shold produce in us. Hear the Psalmist; "The mighty 
God, even the Lord hath spoken, and, called the earth, 
from the rising of the sun unto the going down there- 
of. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God 
hath shined," Ps. 50: 1, 2. ''If I had not come and 
spoken unto chem they had not had sin; but now they 
have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me 
hateth my father also. If I had not done among 
them the works which none other man did, they had 
not had sin; but now have the^ both seen and hated 
me and my Father," John 15: 22, 23, 24. "He that 
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my tvords, hath one 
that judgeth him; the luord that I have spoken the 
same shall judge him in the last day,'' John 12: 48. 
God's word "abideth forever," 1 Pet. 1: 25. "And 
this is the tuord, which by the gospel is preached un- 
to you," and for which you are responsible, and is 

Called 
"The word of faith, Rom," 10: 8; Gal. 3: 2, 5. 

We have already said, Faith is the faculty of the 
soul by which it sees God — the eye of the soul. 
And again we said, it is an attribute of man's renew- 
ed nature — the fruit of the Holy Spirit, for Gcd Him- 
self is Called, "The author and finisher of our Faith," 
Heb. 12: 2. And the Bible speaks of the faith of 
God, Kom. 3: 3, so it is seen that God is the God of 
faith. This is the only way by which we can under- 
stand Heb. 11:1. "ISTow faith is the assurance of 
things hoped for, the proving of things not seen," (R. 
v.). "ISTow faith is the subsistence of things hoped 
or, the evidence of things not seen." "Now faith is 
the subsistence of things hoped for, the demonstra- 
tion of things not seen." "IsTow faith is of 



THE CHURCH. 123 

(things) hoped for (the) assurance of things not 
^een (the) conviction" (Greek-English Interlinear). 
It is evident that such faith as this is wrought in 
man by the power of God and is di preliminary of the 
Holy Spirit's baptism and abiding presence and in- 
dwelling. 

So we read, "For whosoever is born of God over- 
cometh the world; and this is the victory that over- 
cometli the world, even our faith,"! John 5: 4. Who 
is the author of this faith-victory ? "But thanks be 
to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord 
Jesus Christ, "1 Cor.15: 57. The faith comes through 
Christ — the victory is that which is won for us by 
Christ. He gives us the victory. He fought the 
battle and it is a God-won and God-given victory. 
He triumphed over His enemies, led captivity captive 
and gave gifts unto men, Ephes. 4: 8. One of the 
things given to nian is faith, Rom. 12: 36; 1 Cor. 12: 9. 
In this connection see the Lord's teaching on the sub- 
ject of faith. "And Jesus answering saith unto them, 
Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, whoso- 
ever shall say unto this mountain. Be thou taken up 
and cast into sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, 
but shall believe what he saith shall come to pass, he 
shall have it. Therefore I say unto you, all things 
whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believed that ye 
have received them, and ye shall have them," Mark 
11: 22; 23: 24(R. V.) 

We have noticed elsewhere that true prayer is 
the voice of the Holy Spirit in man, Rom. 8:26;Ephes. 
6: 18; Jude 20th verse. And here it is the person 

Born 
of God, that gets the faith-victory over the world. 
It would be impossible, then, to study the relation of 



124 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

faith to the bestowal of the Holy Spirit without study- 
ing the relation of the Holy Spirit to faith. We do 
not believe the inspired penman made any mistake 
in the order when speaking of Barnabas. We are 
told of him, "For he was a good man, and full of the 
Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added 
unto the Lord^ " Acts 11: 24. It is true it is said of 
Stephen, "A man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," 
Acts, 6: 5, yet we read that they were to choose men 
full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom," Acts 6: 3, and 
no doubt V)ut that they did as commanded. The 
Holy Spirit has the 

Precedence 
over faith as the tree over the fruit. As a matter of 
course, the tree must come before the fruit in the na- 
tural world, and so also the Holy Spirit before faith 
in ths spiritual world. There is a sense, however, in 
which the baptism or endaement of the Holy 
Spirit is by faith. The Holy Spirit is promised. The 
promise must be believed and the Holy Spirit ac- 
cepted. We have studied the relation of God's word 
to the Holy Spirit. His word must be believed and 
implicitl\ obeyed. God cannot lie, Heb. 6: 18. To 
doubt Him is to dishonor Him. We must come be- 
fore Him in this spirit — the spirit of faith. "We 
having the same spirit of faith, according as it is 
written, I believe, and therefore have I spoken; 
we also believed, and therefore speak; knowing 
that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise 
us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you," 2 
Cor. 4: 13, 14. 

It is not unimportant to notice in this connection 
the class ot persons upon whom the Holy Spirit is be- 
stowed. He is given to those who do the will of God. 



THE CHURCH. 125 

None other need apply to God for Him, Acts 8: 18-22. 
Jesus said, "How is it that ye sought me ? Wist ye 
not that I must be about my Father's business ? Luke 
2: 48. Here is the index into the life of Jesus. Read 
at His baptism, "And praying, the heaven was open- 
ed. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily 
shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from 
heaven," and what did it say ? "Thou art my belov- 
ed Son; in iJiee I am well pleased,^'' i^uke 3: 21, 22. 
So when He teaches His disciples to pray one clause 
of the prayer is, "Thy dingdom come, thy w^ill be 
done in earth as it is in heaven," Matt. 6: 10. When 
the disciples urge Him to eat, He says, "I have meat 
to eat that ye know not of," John 4: 32. Seeing that 
He was misunderstood by them. He said "My meat is 
to do the ivill of Him that sent me, and to finish His 
work," John, 4: 34, And who will ever forget His 

Memorable 
prayer, prayed three times over, "O my Father, if 
this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink 
it, Thy tvill be done,'' Matt. 26: 42. His life is sum- 
med up in a quotation taken from a Psalm, "Lo, I 
come to do thy ivill O God," Heb. 10: 9. And what is 
true of the life of Jesus in this regard is true of His 
people. "And we are His witnesses of these things; 
and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath giv- 
en to them that obey Him," Acts 5: 32. It is only 
those who do the will of God that shall be saved. 
"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth 
the will of my Father in heaven," Matt. 7: 21. The 

Whole 
duty of life is based upon doing the will of God. 
There is no failure in doing God's will. The man 



126 TAUGHT THE WILL oF GOD. 

alone who fails to do God's will is the only man that 
is a failure. 

Tho. man who is the greatest success in the eyes 
of the world may be the greatest failure in the sight 
of God. The preacher who makes the greatest dis- 
play from a worldly point of view, may be the poor- 
est of gospel preachers of the kingdom of heaven. 
The exhortation is, ''If any man speak, let him speak 
as the oracles of God; if any man minister let him do 
it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all 
things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to 
whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. 
Amen,"l Pet. 4: 11. The preacher here is ihe mouth- 
piece of God. Ilis ministry is conditioned on his 
God-given ability. The object of his message and 
ministry is to glorify God through His Son Jesus 
Christ our Saviour, to whom (not the minister) be 
praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So 
Paul, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, 
that the excellency of the power may be of God and 
not of us," 2 Cor. 4; 7. The true minister of every 
age can say, "For to me to live is Christ," Phil. 1 : 21. 
Paul said, "What mean ye to weep and break mine 
heart ? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also 
to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 
And when he would not be persuaded, he ceased, 
saying, The ivill of the Lord he done,''' Acts 20: 13, 14. 
The reason doubtless why so many Christians are 
powerless is that they are not doing the will of God 
and therefore have not the Holy Spirit. We hear 
Jesus telling the Jews and through them telling us, 
"If any man will do His will, he shall know of the 
doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of 
myself," John 7: 17. Here our knowing depends up- 



THE CHUKCH. 127 

on our doing. It is reasonable to suppose that God 
will not reveal Himself to the 

Wilfully 
disobedient. The secret of the Lord is with them 
that fear Him, Ps. 25; 14. 

In carrying out the great commission God's pres- 
ence is promised, Matt. 28: 19, 20. It is 

Conditioned 
on our doing God's will — observing the divine order — 
the things commanded. We have previously seen 
that prayer for the laborers, and the prayer heard, 
and the laborers sent, is God's order. We also noted 
that this order was observed in the apostolic church- 
es. If we hope to receive the Holy Spirit may it not 
be important for us to obey God in this matter ? At 
least, it may be helpful to have our attention called 
to it so we can pray over it and think about it. Let 
prayer be offered and the will of God he done. 

Let it be remembered that Christ is our great ex- 
ample and that He exemplified in His life the spirit 
of finial obedience to the will of God — His and our 
Father, and that the intercession which He makes 
for us now is according to the will of God, Rom. 8: 
27. Be it remembered that God is not afraid to trust 
those who obey — do His luill. To them He commits 
the completion of His unfinished work in the earth. 
They have access to Him and command of His re- 
sources. To them all heaven is contributor and they 
the benefactors and the distributors of heaven's ful- 
ness. 

The doing of the will of God is a 

Practical 
thing. Peter, who was self-reliant and prone to take 
things in his own hands, learned to do the will of 



128 . TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

God. In his first epistle, under afflicting and tryinsT 
circumstances, he exhorts his brethren to the doing of 
the will of God. Hear him, "For it is better, if the 
will of God he so. that ye suffer for well doing than 
for evil doing," 1 Pet, 3: 17, And he tells us, "For- 
asmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh 
arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, For 
he that has suffered in the flesh Las ceased from sin, 
that he no longer should live the rest of his time in 
the flesh to the lusts of men but to the ivill of God,'' 
1 Pet. 4: 1, 2. Fnally, "Wherefore let them that suf- 
fer according to the ivill of God commit the keeping 
of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful 
Creator," 1 Pet. 4: 19. He had been told by what 
kind of death he would glorify God (John 21; 19), and 
with the martyr^s sufferings before him, he 

Keys 
his whole life to this one note and makes it his 
theme, "doing' the ivill of God.'' It is no marvel that 
such an one has power — has God. There is no one 
else for him to have but God. God is the doer of all 
that he does, and his life the exponent of the mind of 
the Holy Spirit. 

As the salvation of the sinner is dependent upon 
the office-work of the Holy Spirit, it may be profitable 
to study the will of God concerning the sinner. Let 
the apostle Peter speak to us again, "The Lord is not 
slack concerniag His promises as some men count 
slackness; but is long suffering to us -ward, not will- 
ing that any should perish but that all should come 
to repentence," 2 Pet. 3; 9. "For God so loved the 
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life," John 3; 16. Could language 



THR CHURCH, 129 

be stronger than this expressing God's attitude to- 
ward the sinner ? "Say unto them, As I live saith the 
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wick- 
ed, but that the wicked turn from his way and 
live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why 
will ye die, O house of Israel ?" Ezek. 33; 11. Here is 
God's will — "no 

Pleasure 
in the death of the wicked," and His question, "why 
yiill ye die, O house of Israel?" Here are two wills- 
God's to save the sinner — the sinner's not to be saved 
by Him, 

It is plainly evident that the man who has the 
mind of the Holy Spirit wants to see sinners saved. 
It is manifestly visible in every book and on almost 
every page of the Bible — God's interest, in solicitude 
and desire to save the sinner. The saved can only 
approximate the mind of God in this matter — and they 
do that as they are helped, influenced, and led by the 
Holy Spirit. And it is as clear as noonday that he 
who is indifferent to the salvation of the unsaved 
does not possess the Holy Spirit. If there is any 
apathy or indifference on our part in regard to the 
salvation of souls, it should give us the deepest con- 
cern. It should lead to prayerful and serious reflec- 
tion on our part and judgment against ourselves for 
any neglect, and speedy reformation. The apostle 
tells us, "For if we judge ourselves we should not be 
fudged, 2 Cor. 11: 31. We should endeavor to use 
every help within our reach to develop interest in the 
unsaved and rely upon God's grace to remove all in- 
ternal and external hindrances. It is said in the 
book of Isaiah, I will make a man more precious than 
fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of 

9 



130 TAUGfHT THE WILL OF GToP. 

Ophir," Is. 13: 12. I do not know but what the 
Saviour had His mind's eye on this passage of Scrip- 
ture, wh^n he said, ''For what is a man profited, if 
he stell gain the whole world and lose his own soul ? 
or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?", 
Matt. 16: 26, 

Weighty 
words that should be prayerfully ponderedl May it 
not be worth our while to try to get at the just value 
of a human life—a real thing — a living soul? Man 
is a living thing — a being possessed of deathless attri 
butes. "Dust thou art, to dust thou returnest, was 
not epoken of the soul.'' 

Money has no instrinsic value. The value it 
possesses is that with which we have invested 
it. Not so with man. The value h^ possesses 
is that with which God has invested him. Here 
is his genealogy : ''And the Lord God formed man 
of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his 
nostril the breath of life [lives;] and man became a 
living soul,^' Gen. 2r 7; Ps. 8: 5. Ah, what far-reach- 
ing words — ^"A living soul,'' created immortal. But 
his eternal life was conditioned on his obedience, 
the visible pledge of it being the "tree of life," Gen. 
3: 24, Man was warned of eating the fruit of the tree 
of death — "In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt 
surely die [dying thou shalt die]," Gen. 3: 17. Th(c^ 
story of man's disobedience and fall are too well 
known to need repetition here. Suffice it to say, sin 
entered into the world and death by sin, Rom. 5: 12. 
We survey the world wrecked and ruined in the 
transgression of out first parents in Eden, "but 
thanks be unto God," in Christ Jesus we 

See 



THE CHURCH. 131 

it rescued and redeemed on Calvary, Man's first re- 
presentative started life in Paradise — a garden, and 
tended in exile— banifc>hment; his second representa- 
tive started it in a manger and ended on a cross and 
was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven— 
.the possessor and giver of endless life, Heb. 7: 16, 
The great theme of the gospel, which is the good 
news or glad tidings of man's salvation, — is eternal 
life in Christ Jf^sus for the penitent, believing, sin- 
ner. "And this is the record, that God hath given 
to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that 
hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son 
of God, hath not life," 1 John 5: 11, 12. Of so great 
weight, thea, is man's salvation, that Jesus Christ 
come from the skies to lift him out of the depth of 
sin and degradation, the consequence of his disobedi- 
ence, and fit him for and give him a place in God's 
indestructible and eternal kingdom. If this is God's 
estimate of and concern for man— his salvation and 
eternal redemption (Heb. 9: 12), what an 

Incentive 
to us — His people — to work and pray for man's con- 
version ! He places tremendous emphasis upon him 
and expresses undeniably His disposition concerning 
him and His will to save him. If so, how ardent and 
earnest our prayer should be for ourselves and others! 
How our souls should break out, "Now the God of 
peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord 
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the 
blood of the everlasting covenant, make you per- 
fect in every good work to 

To do his Will, 
working in you that which is well pleasing in His 
sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for 



132 TAUGHT J KE WILL 01 GOD. 

ever and ever, Amen." Heb, 13; 20, 21. What a wish, 
what a prayer ! No greater blessing can come to man 
than to realize the nearness of the ever present God 
and to know that he is doing His will, there is noth- 
ing beyond this for man. James tells us we should 
say, "If the Lord imll, we shall live, and do this or 
that,'^ James 4: 15. In Ephes. 6: (5, 7, S, we read, "But 
as servants of Christy doing the will of God from the 
heart," with good- will doing service as to the Lord,, 
and not to men. "Knowing that whatsoever good 
thing any may doeth, the same he shall receive of 
the Lord, whether he be bond or free." What bet- 
ter work can any one do, than to convert the sinner 
from the error of his way ? James 5: 20. It is upon 
record, the page of inspiration, "And they that be 
wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmanent; 
and they that turn many to righteousness, as the 
stars for ever and ever/' Dan. 12: 3. Glory to God ! 
Let us ask ourselves the question, will there be any 
stars in my crown ? It would be a great calamity for 
a man going from this earth, with its 
Billion and a half of Soufs, 
to receive in the next world, where the faithful meet 
to part no more, a starless crown I What will be our 
experience fellow-traveler, in this matter? Let us lay 
bare the Bible truth and comprehend its teaching in 
'Reference to the future. We have great encouragement 
in God's "Fear nots,"Is. 40: 10,13, 14. Be of good cour- 
age, be strong, Deut. 31:6,7; Ephes. 6: 10, in His 
"lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the 
world," Matt. 28: 20. These ought to startle and 
thrill us, and nerve and move us, and make us confi- 
dent and invincible I Such an array of the master's 
assurances should make us indubitable and uncon- 



THE CHURCH, 133 

querable, and our lives veritable lighthouses and 
bulwarks of divine truth and power. The fact is 
the faith of such 

Ones 
should be all-powerful and indestructible. They 
should reach men — tliey themselves being moved by 
Ood. The power that moves them should stir others. 
AVhy, oh why this lethargy this apathy of soul, if we 
are in touch with God and in accord with His will ? 
Perhaps we are ready to say with Gideon, "O my 
Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this be- 
fallen us ? And where be all his miracles which our 
fathers told us of, saying, did not the Lord bring us 
up from Egypt ? but now the Lord has forsaken us, 
and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites," 
Judges 6: 13. Ah, Gideon, not so. Hear the Lord ! 
*^But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me, and my 
Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her 
sucking child, that she should not have compassion 
on the son of her w^omb ? Yes, they may forget, yet 
will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee 
upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continual- 
ly before me," Is. 19: 14, 15, 16. Such language as this 
ought to dispel all of our gloom and vanquish all our 
doubt. We 

Must 
believe that God is with us. We should break out in 
praise and in anthems of hallelujahs. We should 
move with a firm, but rapid and joyful tread, and 
make the earth ring with the songs of our gladness. 
There is no time for moping or bewailing, but press- 
ing demand for immediate action and hearty thanks- 
giving, Phil, 4: 6. We fancy we can hear the rolling 
and surging of that great and mighty volume of song 



134 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

of praises and hallelujahs, sounding out from the ^ 
throne and kingdom of God; "And a voice came out 
of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his ser- 
vants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 
And I heard as it were the voice af a great multitude^ 
and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of 
mighty thuriderings, saying, '-Alleluia, for the Lord 
God ommipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and re- 
joice, and give honor to him, for the marriage of the 
Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready, '^ 
Kev. 19: 5, 6, 7. My voice shall be heard in helping to 

Sweli 
that glorious song until it shall resound through 
earth^s darkest parts and remotest places. Let the 
cry go forth from every redeemed soul to earth^s mil- 
lions of lost ones, in that fragment of an ancient 
hymn preserved to us, ''Awake thou that sleepest^ 
and arise from ihe dead, and Christ shall give the 
light,"' Ephes. 5: 14. And as God's people shall pro- 
phesy, may breath come into their dry bones and may 
they stand upon their feel, an exceeding great 
army, Ezek. .37: 10, May God grant His people this as 
promised in His Son ! 

Our Need of a Revival, 
Oh for a revival I "Wilt thou not revive us again, 
that thy people may rejoice in thee" ? Ps. 85: 6. 
"O Lord, I have heard thy speech and I was afraid. 
O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in 
the midst of the years make known in wrath; remem- 
ber mercy," Hab. 3: 2. It seems that this was writ- 
ten for these times and the present necessity. Was 
there ever a time when we needed a re\ ival more than 
now ? And what we need is a revival from God — a 
revival of His work. We have had 



THE CHURCH. 135 

Too Many 

©f the spurious kind — human, mere imitations. What 
we need (and I trust what we want) is a revival from 
Ood, of His power and presence of Himself to man, 
His grace bringing salvation, Titus 2: 11. We want 
a revival — or rather need it, characterized by Bible 
■evidences, the converts having brought forth Bible 
fruits, and received Bible proofs of their forgiveness, 
acceptance, and adoption into God's family, that 
would give them the right start upon the road to glory 
and great advantage over those who joined the church 
because the minister insisted they would be alright if 
they did so, or because their sweethearts were mem- 
bers, or their parents desired it, or had them baptized 
or christened in infancy, or from any other unscrip- 
tural and unworthy cause. Their membership then 
should be based upon their acceptance of Christ and 

Regeneration 
by the Holy Spirit and the enrollment of their names 
upon the Lamb's book of life, Phil. 4: 3; Rev. 20: 12; 
21: 27. Why join the church from any other cause or 
under any other circumstance, when none shall enter 
into heaven except those whose names are in the book 
of life ? Let the Lord's, ^'Except a man be born again 
he cannot see the kingdom of God," sound out 
here, John 3: 3, 5. There must be no trifling or mis- 
taken one's necessity, his 

Inperative 
need, and God's absolute requirement here. The 
trumpet must not give an uncertain sound here, for 
if it does, who will prepare himself for heaven ? 1 Cor. 
14: 8. The 

New 
birth is essential to one's entering heaven. Its im- 



136 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD, 

portance cannot be overstated and its urgency over* 
estimated. It is one of the emphatic, outspoken, un- 
compromising doctrines declared lo men by their Lord 
It will admit of no altering, or patching, or explain- 
ing away, but stands as a naked; bold truth to be tak- 
en simply as it is coming directly from the one and 
only Lawgiver, ''who is able to save and destroy," 
James 4: 12, and who does both according to estab- 
lished and fixed doctrines and principles and not ar- 
bitrarily but in accord with the laws of the gospel — 
the plan of salvation.' 

No revival is genuine or Christian's work com- 
plete that does not insist upon this — the new birth, 
and make it a test of one's entrance into the king- 
dom"of |God and eternal life here and into Heaven 
hereafter. We are not writing about mountain top ex- 
periences, as those of Moses upon Sinai, and Christ 
upon the mount of transfiguration, but the experience 
common to man. The gospel commands men every- 
where to repent. Acts 17: 30, to believe, Mark ]: 15, 
with the promise that they shall be saved, Acts 16: 31 
— born again of the Holy Spirit. The new birth is 
secured to mankind through Christ Jesus, ''For there 
is one God and one Mediator between God and men, 
the man Christ Jesus:who gave himself a ransom for 
all to be testified in due time," 1 Tim. 2: 5, 6. This is 
the gospel we are called to preach and are ordained 
to teach, 1 Tim. 2: 7. We must not mistake our mis- 
sion and alter the theme of our preaching. Paul tells 
us, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all ac= 
ceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
save sinners, of whom I am chief," 1 Tim. 1: ]5. It 
must be remembered here that there are two com- 
mands, which are symonymous terms with doing the 



THE CHURCH. 137 

will of God, enjoined upon us; the words of Jesus, 
^'Follow me," and, "Teaching them to observe all 
things, whatsoever I have commanded you," Matt. 4: 
19; 28; 20. No soul can be saved without accepting 
Christ as Lord and rendering obiedience to His com- 
mands. This statement refers to the people to whom 
Christ is known and to v^^hom His words are published. 
The question is asked, is baptism 

Essential 
to salvation ? We answer obedience is, and when it 
is possible for one to obey and he does not, he forfeits 
his right to salvation. We should not forget those 
memorable words to King Samuel: — "Behold, to obey 
is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of 
rams," 1 Sam. 15: 22. Saul's disobedience cost him 
his crown and his life; so those in churches who dis- 
obey God and disregard His words may expect to pay 
the penalty attached to disobedience and finally see 
them (churches) come to wreck and ruin, and those 
who have sought refuge in them left without a church 
home. God is speaking to his people who are in such 
institutions, "Come out from among them and be ye 
separate, saith the Lord," 2 Cor. 6: 17. 

We 
confidently believe that we who are God's people shall 
ultumately come to know and understand His will 
and obey His voice. Why ? "For it is God who 
worketh in you both to will and to do of His good 
pleasure," Phil. 2; 13; Heb. 13: 5. Listen to Paul's 
prayer for the Colossians. "For this cause we also, 
since we heard it [Col. 1: 4], do not cease to pray for 
you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the 
knowledge of 



138 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

His Will 

in all wisdom and spiritual understanding," Col. 1: 9. 
An example : ^'For David, after^ he had served his 
own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep," 
Acts 13; 36. Thus we sum up in Scriptural language, 
the operation of the divine will upon human wills to 
which they are subject. It is a blessed thing to know 
that the son of God is come, and hath given us an un- 
derstanding, 1 John 5: 20. Paul said, ''In the church 

1 had rather speak 

Five Words 
with my understanding, that by my voice I might 
teach others also, than ten thousand words in an un- 
known tongue," 1 Cor. 14: 19. Then comes his ex- 
hortation; "Brethren, be not children in understand- 
ing, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in under- 
standing be men," 1 Cor. 14: 20. What a request 
Paul makes of God for Timothy! "The Lord give 
the understanding in 

All Things," 

2 Tim. 2: 7. 

There is another phase of the personality of God 
brought out in man's salvation — His Faithfulness. 
Isaiah said long before gospel days and privileges ; 
"Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth," Is. 
25: 1. We have had our attention called to the will 
of God— not that of a despot but a loving, kind, and 
impartial Father, who pities his children infinitely 
more than the best of earthly fathers, and wills for 
them as the summum honum of their very being — 
their salvation, Ps. 103: 13; Matt, 7: 11; Luke 11: 13, 
and in connecfion with it, their salvation reveals to 
all them that acccipt Him — His faithfulness. 

In that remarkable Ps. 119: 89, 90, we read. 



THE CdURCH, 139 

* 'Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." 
Thy faithfulness is unto all generations; thou 1;' ^t 
established the earth and it abideth." Let us listen 
to that startling and quick-step exhortation coming 
with force and energy from the lips of the inspired 
speaker, "having therefore, brethren, boldness to en- 
ter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by anew 
and living way. which he hath consecrated for us, 
through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and hav- 
ing an high priest over the house of God;" "Let us 
draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, 
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 
and our bodies washed with pure water, let us 
hold fast the profession of our faith without waver- 
ing (fo)" He is faithful that promised); and let us 
consider one another, to provoke unto love and good 
works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves 
together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting 
one another: and so much the more as ye see the day 
approaching," Heb. 10: 19-25. These words ought to 
make one's blood boil with fervent zeal and confirm 
him more and more in his steadfastness to God and 
devotion to duty and loyalty to His truth. They 
swell and throb with the divine life, the "new and 
living way" of approach to God through the Son, 
and rests fixedly upon His Faithfulness to man, 
who has sought refuge in Him. There is, then, the 
conscious power of the invisible One — the mainspring 
of the inward life, — expressed here by "the full assur- 
ance of faith." It reminds us of the closing words 
of 1 Cor. 15: 18: "Therefore my beloved brethren, be 
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work 
of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is 
not in vain in the Lord." Reader, heed these inspired 



110 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

words and you will be inspired. Religious activity 
here is based upon the certainty of the future life in 
the all-conquering power of God, who giveth us the 
victory through the Saviour unto an endless life, 1 
Cor. 15: 57. But to get at the point at issue, man's 
salvation does not depend primarily upon his — but 
God's faithfulness. Paul in writing to the Thessa- 
lonian Christians has this to say, ''Eaithful is he that 
calleth you who also will do it," 1 Thess. 5: 24. God 
had called them. What He 

Undertakes 

He executes — what He begins, He finishes. This is 
brought out in his second epistle to the same persons, 
"'But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, 
and keep you from evil," 2 Thess. 3: 3. In line and 
keeping with this is his instruction to the Corinth- 
ians in regard to temptation, to which all men in 
common are subjected, "There hath no temptation 
taken you but such as is common to man: but God is 
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also 
make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear 
it," 1 Cor. 10: 13. Who can help but think of the pe- 
tition in the disciple's prayer — in our prayer — taught 
them, and us through them by our Lord, '^And lead 
us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil 
one," Matt. 6; 13. 

One who was saved had this to say about his sal- 
vation, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
acception, that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
sai;e sinners, of whom I am chief," 1 Tim. 1.- 15. 
What an appropriate appellation by which to desig- 
nate and know Him! "And I saw heaven opened and 
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was 



THE CHURCH. 141 

called Faithful snad True, and in righteousness he 
doth judge, and make war," Rev. 19:11. His name 
is called ''faithful and true," and His words are faith- 
ful and true," Rev. 21: 5. This is the true God, and 
eterral life," 1 John />: 20. "He abideth faithful: 
He cannot deny himself," 2 Tim. 2: 13. Such state- 
ments of G(»d's character — of Himself — His truthful- 
ness and faithfulness, cannot buthelp stimulate one's 
faith and quicken his zeal as he contemplates these 
glorious attributes of his Saviour — God. What a 
statement — He cannot lie ! Titus 1: 2, Heb. 6: 18. 

To him who believes the Bible, faith is a natural 
product — he cannot help but believe God. The quali- 
fied acceptance of the Bible, regardless of profession, 
is skepticism as to the nature, government, and prov- 
idence of God. It is the modification and limitation 
of God Himself ! Oh, how we should fear to change 
the Bible, its invitations, conditions, promises, &c.! 
It has promised grace, salvation, eternal, life tempor- 
al things, food, raiment, &c., to the believer. God 
Himself is involved in all these promises and to doubt 
is to deny God and make him a liar, 1 John 5:10, and 
we have seen that His moral character prohibits this 
as shown in His word. What is to save us from the 
impeachment of God's veracity ? The simple belief of 
the truth. "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy 
word is truth,'' John 17: 17. "If ye continue in my 
word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall 
knoiv the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 
The Bible is the word of God — the word of God is 
what He has said — His words. God is truth— what He 
has said — the Bible — is truth. Thus we understand 
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, "But as God is 
true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. 



142 TAUGHT THE WILL UF GOD. 

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached 
among you by us, was not yea and nay, but in hinoi 
was yea. For all the promises of God in him are 
yea, and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us," 
2 Cor. 1: 18-20. The word of God whether spoken or 
written is 

Unchangeable 
— amen in the Holy Ghost." That God cannot 
change His mind or alter His purpose concerning 
those that compose His kingdom is a source of power 
and the cause of profound thanksgiving. He cannot 
break His word, or annul His covenant, or disregard 
His promise to His children. He is compelled to keep, 
defend, protect, and sustain them. To fail on His 
part would be for Him to cease to be God. Peter has 
found out his place of safety at last: "Who are kept 
by the power of God through faith unto salvation 
ready to be revealed in the last time," 1 Per. 1: 5. 
"The Lord iri my shepherd," Ps. 23: 1. "He that 
keepeth thee, will not slumber nor sleep! Behold, 
he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor 
sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy 
shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not 
smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The 
Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall pre- 
serve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going 
ont and thy coming in from this time forth, and even 
for evermore," Ps. 121: 3-8. See the whole of Ps. ch. 
46, and Rom. 8: 28-39. 

A sinner saved by grace, Ephes. 2: 8, — "Blessed 
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin," 
Rom. 4: 8, — may climb, — yea, caught up by the Spirit 
— (Acts 8: 39; Ezek. 8: 3), upon this divinely built 
Pyramid, and calmly seated upon its capstone, sing 



THE CHURCH. 143 

the lon^ metre doxology, "Praise God from whom all 
blessings flow," and hum at his leisure, to his heart's 
content, "How firm a foundation ye saints of the 
Lord is laid for your faith in His excellent word. 
What more can He say than to you He hath said, 
you who unto Jesus for refuge hath fled." My salva- 
tion is in the all-powerful hands of my Saviour "and 
I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I 
have committed unto Him against that day," 2 Tim. 
1 : 12. He is faithful and has pledged himself to keep 
me so I say again, "And the Lord .shall deliver me 
from every evil wurk, and will preserve me unto His 
heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and 
ever. Amen," 2 Tim. 4: 18. 

How earth's hills and vales should ring wiih 
paeans of praise from the redeemed and its high-ways 
be crowded with triumphant arches of the saved of 
the Lord ! Wake up earth, and praise thy God, adore, 
worship, and bow in thanksgiving at thy Lord's feet! 
"Here I'll raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm 
come." "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," i Sam. 
7: 12. And thus shall it be — stones of help erected — 
all along our earthly pilgrimage, until we are inside 
the gates of the celestial city. 

God's Way. 

May we not say to every one who may see these 
pages, how our prayers should supplicate a throne of 
grace, how they should ascend the hill of the Lord, 
breathing the petition, "Sheiv me noiv thy ivay/^ Ex. 
33: 13. God has a way. It is the right way. It is 
the way for man — every man. To miss it is to miss 
God. It is the only way to God. There are many 
other ways, but they do not lead to God. There is 
man's way — my way — the world's way, and the dev- 



144 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

il's way. God's way traverses earth and runs paral- 
lel with every human life. Our lives may diverge 
from it but it is intended to run directly with them. 
They are never intended to cross. It is intended they 
should get into it and stay in it. 

The distresses of life are caused by men getting 
out of God's way. Israel wandered for forty years in 
the wilderness. God's way was directly into Canaan. 
The evangelization of the world is delayed through 
the tardiness of the church. She does not believe 
and fails to act, or else arrogates to herself authori- 
ty she does not possess, and operates along lines of 
her own choosing. By her 

Independence 
she has divorced herself from her Lord — her lawful 
husband, and violated the vows taken in the marriage 
contract. So far as she has substituted her ways — 
human ways — for God's ways, she has become an 
adulteress^ a prostitute. Her success is in her obedi- 
ence. If she has departed from the Lord let her re- 
turn. May she 

Heed 
the exhortation given by the prophet Isaiah: ^'Seek 
ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him 
while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways, 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him 
return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon 
him: and to our God for he will abundantly pardon." 

Why? 
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the 
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways 
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your 
thoughts," Is. 55; 6 9. Our salvation is in returning 



THE CHURCH. 145 

to the Lord's way — "The King's high- way of holi- 
ness," "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try 
me, and know my thoughts; and see if there beany 
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlast- 
ing," Ps. 139: 23, 21. 

Love. 
I know of no more fitting conclusion to what has 
been written than to call attention to the Bible's 
teaching as to love. It is 

God's Ultimatum 
to the world. There came to us a new lesson from 
the beloved disciple on love; "That he who loveth 
God love his brother also," 1 John 1: 21. That is a 
searching statement made in the 20th verse of this 
4th chapter. "If a man say, I love God and hateth 
his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his 
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, 
whom he hath not seen?" He tells us the reason of this, 
"For love is of God," verse 7. "He that loveth not 
knoweth not God; for God is love," verse 8. It is 
startling to read his argument. "In this was mani- 
fested the love of God toward us, because that God 
sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we 
might live through him. Herein is love, not that 
we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His son 
to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God 
so loved us, we ought also love one another," 1 John 
4: 9-11, Paul in his epistle to the Thessalonians 
says, "But as touching brotherly love ye need not, 
that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of 
God to love one another," 1 Thess. 4: 9. This is 
taught everywhere in the New Testament. Here is a 
sample of it in the epistle that we are now studying: 
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid 



146 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

down His life for us: and ive ought to lay down our. 
lives for the brethren," 1 John 3: 16. 

It is taught in man's regeneration. It is one of 
the first impulses of a renewed heart, "We know 
that we have passed from death unto life, because we 
love -the brethren/' 1 John 3: 14. Then we see plain- 
ly in God's word, and in the regenerate this lesson 
taught us by him— ''love as brethren", 1 Pet. 3: 8. 
That the attention of professing Christians must be 
called to this is a sad sign of spiritual deterioration, 
of not learning in God's school, of not knowing the 
lesson that He teaches. When men 

Cease 
to learn of God they become the easy victims of envy, 
jealousy, selfishness, malice, narrowness and hatred, 
the slave of sin, and the tool of the devil. Jesus says 
*'L3ara of me". Matt. 11:29. We ask the question, 
taught what? We need not await the answer if we 
are permitted to ask and receive a reply to the fol- 
lowing question, By whom taught ? That decides it. 
We partake of the character of our teacher as we re- 
ceive and practice his teachings. "Know ye not that to 
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his ser- 
vants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto 
death, or of obedience unto righteousness", Rom. 6: 
16. The man who is taught of God loves his brother. 
The love that God enjoins would reconcile man to 
man and remove even the possibility of estrangement. 
It is all He requires of man for Himself and for his fel- 
low-man. "Love is the fulfilling of the Law," Rom. 
13: 10, It is 

God^s Finality. 
There is nothing that He requires beyond it or in ad- 
dition to it, "Love is of God," John 4^ 7. "Love is 



THE CHURCH. 147 

the fulfilling of the law, "Rom. 13: 10. "Christ is the 
end of the law for righteousness to every one that be- 
lieveth," Rom. 10: 4. "God is love," John 4: 16, and 
lie that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in 
him, seems to cover the syllogism given above on the 
great subjects of law and love both finding their ex- 
pression and completion in Christ. God's love to 
man in man, "Shed abroad by the Holy Ghost, "Rom. 
o: 5, in his heart, is everything to man. O, the won- 
der that we do not believe it, receive it, preach it, 
proclaim it, far and near so all may hear,see and know 
it! Let us live in and abide in love, 1 Cor. ch. 13. 
How love rings out here in clarion notes and shows 
itself to be the "greatest thing in the world." How^ 
it will advocate and hasten Christian unity — whyPbe- 
cause it "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in 
the truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, 
hopeth all things, endureth all things," 1 Cor. 13: 6, 
7. "'Love 

Never 
fails," verse 8; other expedients have failed to unite 
christians, but love never ! What it undertakes it ac- 
complishes. Let us try it ! God commends it — the 
Bible recommends it. Hear John again, "Hereby 
perceive we the love of God, because He laid down 
His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives 
for the brethren", 1 John 3: 16. Such love as this— 
stronger than life — unites us. No difficulty in find- 
ing ground for a common basis of union with persons 
whom we love more than we love our own lives. 
Those who hold the truth in love have no occasion 
for fear in such a union I Here comes in the apostle's 
dictum, "By love serving one another," GaL 5: 13. 



148 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

Love delights in service for those upon whom it is 
centered. 

We ask the question, have Christians of to day 
heeded, Heb. 13: 1, "Let brotherly love continue" ? 
Has such love as that taught by Jesus and His apos- 
tles come down through the centuries to us unabated, 
undimmed, unmixed with human feeling, aggrandiz- 
ment, and selfishness ? Have we separated from and 
discriminated between our professions — callings — our 
church-systems, and God Himself and man himself, 
and love them for what they are outside of profes- 
sions — callings — and church-systems and the emolu- 
ment of positions therein ? Have God and men al- 
ways come first, or have they, though it may be un- 
consciously been associated with our sect and church- 
system ? Have we r'san above sectarian enterprises 
and organizations and occupied ourselves with the 
greatest and the greater — God and man, to whom all 
institutions and organizations should be subordinate 
and for whom all insbrumetitalities should be employ- 
ed ? All the strife and collision of the past have been 
caused by the disregard of the exhortation, "Let 
brotherly love continue." Sectarianism is 

Selfishness, 
the exaltation of self. When the death blow to self 
shall have been struck, before its echo shall have 
been lost in the distance, the coalition of God's peo- 
ple will have taken place. God will return from the 
backgrown, to which our human systems have rele- 
gated Him, to be head over His own happy and united 
church. We do not hesitate to say, had the love 
of Christ, and the first Christians, as seen, been kept 
pure, warm, and inviolable by all succeeding professors 
of religion that there never would have been the di sin- 

loa 



THE CHURCH. 149 

tegration which in the past took place and the num- 
erous denominations of to-day — spread all over the 
land. To write thus — to Bible students and scholars — 
miy appear not any more than the statement of trite 
and common place sayings. Let this be our defence, 
not their obscurit}^ for if that were so, people would 
be more excusable for their non-observance, but their 
neglect, shall we say wilful neglect and stolid indif- 
ference, for what is so plainly revealed must be the 
more binding. Let no one turn away from these 
sayings on account of their self-evident nature — their 
being truisms — until he has resolved to put them into 
practice. When we obey them then the necessity of 
writing about them may cease to exist, but not until 
then can we write finis and cease to herald abroad 
God's own revealed truth and will. 

God's teaching on love, then, is that even life it- 
self is sub servient to it— God gave His Son — we 
ought also to lay down our lives for the brethren and 
if we really love — God's definition of it is that it ex- 
presses itself in action — ''Feed my lambs — Feed my 
sheep;" John 11: 15, 16, and James 2: 16, etc. 

May we not look at the negative side of this sub- 
ject for a moment. God never taught any one to hate 
another. Anger, hatred, malice, jealousy, etc., are 
learned outside of God's school and curriculum. 
The Bible goes so far as to say, ''Speak not evil one of 
another, brethren," James 4: 11, and did we not read 
in that marvellous chapter of 1 Cor. love "Thinketh 
no evil," 1 Cor. 13: 5. 

O my soul, bow before this supreme passion, feel- 
ing, substance, principle, life, love. No grace, gift, pos- 
session, earthly or heavenly, human or divine, will 
compensate for the lack of it or take the place of it. 



150 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

We must have it, it matters not what else and how 
much else we may have, or at last be" Weighed in the 
balances" and be found wanting, Dan. 5: 27. With- 
out it man will be found lighter than vanity. How 
we should covet earnestly the best gift, the most 
excellent way, 1 Cor. 12: 31 — level It is coveting the 
essence, the absorbing attribuie of Deity. It is a crav- 
ing of His disposition, a desire after His likeness — 
God likeness. It is seeking that which makes one in 
being, character and conduct, thought and action, 
conform most to God. The one that loves most is 
most like God, nearest to God, knows most of God, 
understands God best and shows the most of Him to 
others. Perhaps this is why Jesus said, "He that 
hath seen me hath seen the Father," John 14: 9. 

The more one enters into His nature the more he 
knows of Him — and love is the foundation of His na- 
ture. God is what love is. Love is not an earthly 
thing. It is 

Heaven^Born — 
the first fruit of the Holy Spirit produced in the hu- 
man heart, Gal. 5: 22. God could not dwell in a life — 
take up His abode in a heart, without creating and 
planting within it this gracious product. This fruit 
grows where the Holy Spirit dwells. Like begets 
like.— "We shall be like Him", 1 John 3: 2. "As He 
is" — a God of love in the world-helping, saving men — 
"so are we in this world," 1 John 4: 17 Our mission 
is, and our natures should be, similar to His. We are 
in the world in His place-and need His Spirit — love — to 
beseech men in His stead to be reconciled to God, 2 
Cor. 5: 20. 

Should it not be consoling to man to know that 
love discharges all of his debts to God and to his 



IHE CHUKCH. 151 

brother man ? The one who loves God to the fullest 
extent of his capacity and his neighbor as himself, is 
under no obligation to any one — neither God nor man. 
The freest man in God's universe is the one who loves 
Him supremely and his neighbor devoutly. He is 
not required to remember a thousand and one things 
and do a thousand and one things in order to please 
God and do his duty to mankind, for it is all com- 
prehended in the one word of four letters — L-O-V-E. 

Men have recited prayers, learned creeds, gone 
to confessions, done penance, taken long pilgrimages, 
practiced asceticism, shut themselves up in cells, etc. 
etc. etc, ad idjinitum and did not, perhaps, after all, 
realize the object of their pursuit, when love would 
have covered it all, and saved them from wretched 
disappointments and their lives from miserable fail- 
ures. And after all, it must be written, ^'But Israel, 
which followed after the law of righteousness, hath 
not attained to the law of righteousness." Where- 
fore ? Because they sought it not by faith, but, as it 
were, by the works of the law," Rom. 9: 31; 32. Af- 
ter all of one's striving and sacrificing, unless he at- 
tains love, he is '*as sounding brass or a tinkling 
cymbal" — empty — and nothing but noise, as the fig- 
ures indicate, 1 Cor. 13: 1. 

It would be a sad thing to realize in the end that 
<)ne's profession had been mere cant and all of his 
pretentions mere words, words, words. There is 
power in the gospel, but that power is in love, ^'speak- 
ing the truth in love, may grow up into him in all 
things, which is the head, even Christ," Ephes. 4: 15, 
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, "Rom, 
1: 16, but its 

Power 



152 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

is in God's love. "But God, who is rich in mercy, 
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even 
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us to- 
gether with Christ," Ephes. 2: 4, 5. Hear this, "That 
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, 
being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to 
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and 
length, and depth, and height, and to know the 
love of Christ that passeth knowledge, that ye might 
be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him 
that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we 
ask or think, according to the power that worketh in 
us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ 
Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." 
Ephes. 3: 17-21. 

We confess to having looked for some vague in- 
definite power, perhaps, other than that of love, but 
we came to our senses — there is no other power out- 
side of love compelling or prompting God. The pow- 
er that is working in us, is the love of God. He ex- 
erts no other influence apart from it, all of His other 
attributes being balanced and counter-balanced by it. 
He reproves and smites in love, Heb. 12: 6. His very 
nature prohibiting any independent action apart from 
it. "The kindness and love of God/' Titus 3: 4. 
"God commendeth His love towards us, in that while 
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," Rom, 5: 8, 
This is the sphere in which God lives, feels, thinks, 
wills, moves, acts. 

Man may be sure of one thing, it matters not 
what may betide him, that God is acting from love. 
It is what he wants man to act from toward Him and 
one another. He acts from it, John 3: 16; Rom. 8: 32, 



THE CHURCH. 153 

and wants man to act from it — showinc^that there is 
no 

Ulterior 
motive beyond ii in heaven or in earth for the crea- 
tor or creature. God and man seem to stop and rest 
Iiere. God himself seems to tell us in John 3: 16, and 
Rom. 8: 32, beyond it there is nothing that He Him. 
self can do. O the 

Sweep 
of that love— "breadth, ""length, '"'depth, ""height," 
Ephes, 3: 18, It reached the bottom and top, the 
length and breadth, the center and circumference of 
God's own heart ! It reached the end — death itself, 
John 13: 1, and the abode of the spirit in prison, 1 
Pet. 3: 19. It takes in all. 

Ah, my brethren, we are deficient here — this is 
our weak point ! O that we could hear the Saviour 
talking to us now, "As the Father hath loved me so 
have I loved you: continue ye in my love." "This is 
my commandment, That ye love one another as I 
have loved you", John 15: 9, 12. What love, and all 
for us I It is as great as God Himself, Nothing more 
that He can do bej^ond it. The magnitude of His 
gift cannot be exceeded even by Himself. The fact 
is. He gave Himself, Ephes. 5: 25; Gal. 2: 20; 1 Tim. 
2: 6. ,,And without controversy greax is the mystery 
of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified 
in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gen- 
tiles, belie ved on in the world, received up into glory," 
1 Tim. 3: 16. 

The only God man has seen was "manifested 
in the flesh." The test of our love for Him is our 
love for His people — His brethren. Matt. 28: 10; our 
brethien. The mystery of God's love is deep as 



154 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

eternity, but as practical and tangible as man him- 
self. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," 
Matt. 25: 40, 45. 
God has 

Founded 
a kingdom — not out of granite, earthly splendor, riches, 
or glory, but out of men — humanity, Matt. 16: 18; John 
20: 22, 23; Ephes. 2: 20; 1 Pet. 2: 4 10; Rev. 7: 13-17; 
etc Those who are dreaming of a far off visionary 
existence, of rest, happiness, and glory with imagina 
ry beings and surroundings, had better awake to a 
sense of their relation and obligation to their brother, 
man. The heaven which God is building, and to 
which we are tending, is not wrought out of fine 
tapestry, delicate material, golden embroidery, but 
the common-place — if you will have it so^material — 
humanity. Not that the angels, and we know not 
what else and who else, will not be there, and the 
glory of God over-arch and over-shadow all, but to 
us that man will be there— Jesus, brother to our 
race, is to us, heaven, after all. Let man then dazzle 
and flash and blaze and shine, a thousand fold more 
than all earth besides — he who was made "a shaving 
less than God" ! Ps. 8: 5. It was the lack of love and 
disregard for another's rights, at the very dawn of the 
history of fallen man, the hatred that sprang up and 
found congenial soil for growth and development in 
the bosom of the first-born son of Adam's race, 
that struck Abel his death blow — ami is responsible 
for all the knocks, cuffs, and death-dealing 
blows, and hand to hand racial, national, tribal, civil 
and international death — grappling, life-destroying, 
soul-staining, struggles, through which the whole 



THE CHURCH. 155 

family of mankind has passed ! "Whosoever doeth 
not righteousness is not of God, neither he that lovetb 
not his brother." For this is the message that ye 
heard from the beginning, that ye love one another." 
Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew 
his brother. And wherefore slew he him ? Because 
his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous," 
1 John 3: 10, 11,12. Cain was cursed, driven out from 
the presence of God, fugitive fleeing from justice^ 
a.vagabond, and branded a murderer, Gen. 4: 9-15, in 
the earth among men. 

Ah, my brethren, have we . 

Wholly 
escaped the charge and sin of murder ? "Whosoever 
hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no 
murderer hath eternal life abiding in him," John 3: 
15. "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old 
time. Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill 
shall be in danger of judgment; but I say unto you 
that whosoever is angry with his brother without a 
cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoso- 
ever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger 
of thecouncii;but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall 
be in danger of hell-fire. Therefore if thou bring- 
est thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that 
thy brother has ought against thee, leave there thy 
gift before the altar and go thy way : first be recon- 
ciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift," 
Matt. 5: 21 24. Again; "Ye have heard it has been 
said, 'Thou shall love thy neighbor and hate thine 
enemy.' But I say unto you, Love your enemies, 
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate 
you, and pray for them that despitefully use and pur- 
secute you; that ye may be children of your Father 



156 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise on 
the evil and en the good, and sendeth rain on the just 
and unjust. For if ye love thetn which love you, 
what reward have ye ? do not even the publicans the 
same ?" And if ye salute your brethren only, what 
do ye more than others? do not even publicans the 
same? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Fath- 
er which is in heaven is perfect," Matt. 5: 43-48. Who 
is my neighbor ? Luke 10: 29. The question is an- 
swered in Luke 10: 30-37. There Is in these Scrip- 
tures a 

Crushing 
syllogism aimed against that Satanic monster and 
human octopus, anger and hate; every man is our 
neighbor (brother), to be angry with him and hate 
him is to be at heart a murderer; no murderer hath 
eternal life — is in dtinger of hell fire ! Then before 
offering our gifts to God, how necessary to be re- 
conciled to our brother; yea, even more, to love our 
enemies. How can we do it? God loves His enemies, 
gives the sunshine and sends the rain upon them. If 
we only love those who love us and help those who 
help us, we are not any nearer God's natuje than the 
heathen, and our profession is a vain one, and we in 
no way approximate the character of Him whom we 
acknowledge as Lord, and profess to proclaim before 
the world, and whose disposition we are supposed to 
try to imitate and reproduce before men. The com- 
mand to us in this very particular is, ''Be ye therefore 
perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is per- 
fect," Matt. 5: 48. 

Let the parting word that shall be said, be this, 
God's love for us, and cur love for him. and lor one 
another, as revealed and taught in the Bible, will 



THE CHURCH. 157 

solve at once and forever every difficulty in the way 
and perplexity as to how God's people are to come to- 
gether and Christian unity be perfected. 
There is no other than this 

Royal Way, 
James 2: 8, proclaimed, over which His misguided and 
divided subjects shall come to the unity of the Spirit 
in the bond of peace, Ephes. 4: 3, united in one body 
of fellow-servants, and fellow-soldiers of brother- 
men, to 

Serve 
the King and one another, and unitedly (Gal. 3: 28) — 
one in Christ — fight the battles of our Common Lord, 
In to such a 

Church, 
O God, bring us — lead us — is the prayer of your fel- 
low-servant, fellow-soldier and brother-man. Amen, 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



FAITH. 

Faith does not inquire how a thing shall be done. It 
is enough for Faith that God has promised to do it. 
The '4iow" is with God, the ''musf'Jwith faith. Faith 
says it must be done, and God says how it shall 
be done. Faith collects the promises, and God pro- 
vides for the fulfilling of them. If faith knew how 
God was going to do it, it would cease to be faith by 
becoming sight. We have an example of the pure 
article of faith in Abraham. We read what Paul has 
to say about it in Rom. chapter," 4. ''He staggered 
not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was 
strong in faith, giving glory to God. And being 
fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was 
able also to perform." Rom. 4: 20, 21. "By faith 
Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac and he 
that had received the promises offered up his only be- 
gotten son, of whom it was said. That in Isaac shall 
thy seed be called; accounting that God was able to 
raise him up, even from the dead; from whence he al- 
so received him in a figure," Heb. 11; 17, 18, 19, 
Gloriously active, living, operative faith ! ''Seest thou 
how faith wrought with his works; and by works was 



MISCELLANROUS NOTES. 159 

faith made perfect," James 2: 22. The highest ex- 
pression and exercise of faith does not depend upon 
external and visible manifestations, as in the case of 
Gideon with the fleece of wool, Judges 6: 36-40, but 
upon the bare, naked word and promise of God as in 
the case of Abraham, Rom. 4: 16-21. In the one in- 
stance a sign was given, in the simple, the unqualified 
and unaccompanied, with tangible evidences, word 
of God, Heb. 11: 8, 17, 18, 19. In the oneinstance,tbe 
one must see in order to fully believe; in the other in- 
stance, the one fully believes in order to see, and en- 
tirel}^ reverses the conditions. It stands out as plain- 
ly as A B C as to which is the stronger and higher 
c'xercise of faith in God. How the words of our Lord 
come here and appeal to our hearts ! "Thomas, be- 
cause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Bless- 
ed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed,' 
John 20: 29* Well may Peter write, "Whom having 
not seen, ye love: in whom, though now ye see him 
not, yet believing' ye rejoice with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory receiving the end of your f i' h 
even the salvation of your souls," 1 Pet. 1: 8,9. 
What believing heart can refrain from saying, "amen 
Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth ?" 
Rev. 19: 4, 6. Faith and works are, like the Siamese 
twins, inseparable. The two go hand in hand, faith, 
however, always being in the lead, taking the hand 
of work. While they are twin brothers or sisters, yet 
faith has always come to birth first and is independ- 
ent of ;work, notwithstanding, work to be acceptable, 
must always be dependent upon faith, and where you 
see the one you will see the other. Faith is the 
pioneer who discovers the wealth, the resources of 
God as bequeathed to the Christian, and work its 



160 TAUGHT THE WILL uF GOD. 

hand-maiden through which it utlizes it. It may be 
haid of faith as it is of God Himself, "mighty in 
work." 

REVELATION. 

Further than Go'd reveals Himself to us and leads 
us we cannot go. We cannot go bey end and get be- 
yond the revelation of God. We are shut up and 
shut in to that. We are compelled to wait the will of 
the Lord. And those who are prepared and ready to 
do it will not have to wait in vain— need not be afraid 
that God will not find them. He found Joseph in an 
Egyptian prison, Moses exiled in Midian, Gideon 
threshing wheat, and David watching over his fath- 
er's sheep. God will not forget, overlook, or pass by 
those who are fitted for His work. Let it be remem- 
bered that God uses picked men. He does the choos- 
ing and ordaining. If He passes us by without select- 
ing us to fill a place in His service it is because we 
lack the necessary qualifications. And, then again, 
we must not become impatient. We must learn to 
wait on the Lord. Our waiting will not be in vain, 
however we must not forget it requires patience and 
abiding the Lord's time in fulfilling his promises. 
"Let us not be weary in well-doing," is the exhorta- 
tion, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not," 
Gal. 6:9. 

A CALL FOR A UNIVERSAL CONVOCATION TO SEEK 
THE UNITY OF ALL BELIEVERS. 

I suppose it is needless to say to an intelligent 
reader, when Paul wrote 1 Cor. 3: 3-6, that there was 



MISCELLANKOUS NOTES. 161 

but one church in doctrine and practice. There were 
no denominational churches at that time and not un- 
til some time later. The object of Paul in writing to 
the Corinthians is partly to correct the party spirit. 
His desire is that they maybe perfectly joined togeth- 
er in the same mind and in the same judgment. His 
question, Is Christ divided ? Was Paul crucified for 
you ? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul ? de- 
molish all human creeds forever. To Paul, there was 
but one God and one Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Cor, 8: 6, 
and no more a plurality of churches in the sense of 
separate and organized denominations than there were 
with him a plurality of Gods. A plurality of churches 
is dishoning to God inasmuch as He is not the author 
of them. An infinite God — a world wide gospel, call 
for a church commensurate with the undertaking of 
God in man's evangelization. 

We should heed the exhortation, '-Stand fast in 
one spirit, with one mind, striving together [not 
apart] for the faith of the Gospel," Phil. 1; 27. Jesus 
taught, ^'A house divided against itself cannot stand,'* 
Matt. 12: 25. There should be a gathering to-day of 
all denominations out of which should be built the 
one church. The Bible should be taken, as its own in- 
terpreter, free from human comment or restriction, 
as the confession of faith to which all should sub- 
scribe. 

It is spiritual unity to be sought and advocated. 
Organic unity will follow as night follows day and 
summer spring, and as in matrimony, first the union 
of hearts and then of lives. There cannot be a union 
of lives unless there first be a union of hearts. There 
must first be spiritual unity before organic unity is 
possible. To advocate organic unity where spiritinal 



162 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOO. 

unity does not first exist is a farce, and is as incom- 
patible as light and darkness. But the fact remains 
the unity of believers. The church may be rent and 
torn by division and there may arise denominations^ 
but they are unwarranted and unauthorized by the 
Holy Scriptures, We call for the assembling of all 
believers, come, bring your differences^ laying them 
all at the Lord's feet. Here is the place to settle dif- 
ferences and reconcile disputants. God calls for this 
union. You cannot afford to refuse to heed it. I 
prophesy it — and advocate it. Surely Christians, pro- 
fessing to ov^e all and give all to Jesus, themselves 
included, can live and act as brethren, be as unitedly 
one as masons. People go to the same post-office^ 
patronize the same public school, employ the same 
doctor, and yet will not send their children to same 
Sabbath School ! Go to the same store but not to the 
same church I Much more united on politics than re- 
ligion I Strange ! Our Savior said, "Thech ildren of 
this world are in their generation wiser than the child- 
ren of light," Luke 16: 8. How we see it demonstrat- 
ed in the combinations and leagues of the wicked! 
Whiskey leagues, &c. Unity of believers as herein 
proposed wouldrevolutionize the universe of mankind. 
That such unity is taught in the Bible is seen not 
only in its plain and literal teaching but also in all its; 
figures— vine, building, family, &c., indicate unity. 
Brother, sister, imply family— are family terms. 
One quotation as how to treat the members of the same 
family: ^'Finally, be ye all of one mind, having com- 
passion one of another, love as brethren,be pitififul,be 
courteous," 1 Pet. 3:8. Let all Christians at Ihis 
day aiopt this as their motto and put its teaching io 
to practice. 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, 163 

REFORMATION. 

The reformers, Luther, Melaucthon, Wesley, 
Fletciier, and oLliers, in the beginning of the work 
that God called them to do, aimed to restore primi- 
tive and apostolic religion in the earth. That was 
their purpose. Their writings and teaching reveal it. 
In D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation it is clear- 
ly shown that God mightily moved Luther, and had he 
left himself free for God to use him, we should have 
had a reformation that would have taken us back to 
Christ and His apostles. Study the narrative and see 
where the human crept in from time to time. And so 
in me days of ttie Wesleys and Fletcher. The writ- 
ings of John Wesley and John Fletcher show this al- 
so very plainly. The radical work of Wesley began 
as early as his sojourn in Georgia, while there he re- 
fused to receive persons from the dissenting churches 
into membership of Episcopal church without re-bap- 
tizing them and insisted that it should be by immer- 
sion. See History of the Christion Church, by J. S. C. 
Abbott, page, 485. 

At the first conference of the Methodist clergy, at 
the Foundry Chapel, in 1744, Mr. Wesley said, "You 
cannot be admitted to the church of Presbyterians, 
Baptists, Quakers, or any others, unless you hold the 
same opinions with them, and adhere to the same 
mode of worship. The Methodists alone do not insist 
upon holding this or that opinion, but they think and 
let think. Neither do they impose any particular 
mode of worship; but you may continue to worship in 
your former manner, be it what it may. Now, I do 
not know any other religious society, either ancient 
or modern, wherein such liberty of conscience is now 
allowed^ or has been allowed since the days of the 



164 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

apostles. Here is our glorying, and it is a glorying 
peculiar to us, Ibid, page, 488. 

Mr. Wesley must have departed from this later 
in life, and we know that those who are called Meth- 
odists do not allow such liberty of conscience, "think 
and let think," and yet retain the member, who thinks 
differently from them, among them. They have, if 
possible, more severely systematized the doctrines 
upon which Methodism is founded, and require full 
and hearty assent and subscription to them. Certain- 
ly Mr. Wesley could not recognize in Methodism of 
today what we have quoted from him in the beginning 
of his work as here represented. The truth seems to 
be that he himself drifted from his early radical teach- 
ing or, at least, greatly modified them in the course of 
his after life: Methodism today is as dogmatic, com- 
paratively, as any other religious denomination. Her 
distinctive doctrines are held to almost as exclusively^ 
as of those opposing, or not agreeing with her, as any 
other church that can be found. 

Human Figure versus Divine Metaphor, 
Sometimes we hear the different denominations 
compared to the different parts of an army. The 
figure is not well taken as infantry, artillery, cavalry 
on land, and the fleet on water, are one army under 
one commander-in-chief. Certainly such oneness as 
this is not true of denominationalism. They all have 
distinct heads and modus operandi^and human hands 
are laid on the ark of God. There are harmony and 
purpose in every movement of an army — artillery at 
one place, cavalry another, &c., concentrating on one 
object, while denominations occupy the same hill-top 
with destinctive organizations. If the figure were 
correct it would be glorious — the world operated upon 

iia 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 105 

by a brotherhood compact, real, united. 

But what about the Bible metaphor? The church 
a bride — not brides — not as many brides as Brigham 
Young had wives ! Brigham Young with his many 
wives must beget bastard children. 

THE KINGDOM OF GOD ENTERED. 

The Lord has opened to us his kingdom. The 
kingdom is entered in this life. Some have already 
entered, Heb. 4: 3. The kingiom is here — not to come. 
Men have got into the realm of God, in the sphere in- 
habited, presided over, and controlled by God Himself, 
We have been transported into the bliss of union and 
communion Avith Him. When once consciously with- 
in the fold, the infinite resources and store houses of 
temporal and spiritial blessings of "*ohe high and lof- 
ty QYie that inhabiteth eternity" are ours. 

When one has entered the kingdom of God he is 
in the realm of angels, who are ministering spirits 
for those who are heirs of salvation, Heb. 2: 14. And 
not only that he is compassed about with a great 
cloud of witnesses who has been translated from the 
militant to the triumphant church or from earth to 
heaven. It is well for the Christian to stop and con- 
sider who is with him — the company he is keeping. 
It will have a tendency greatly to strengthen him. 
Suppose we call the roll of those who are with him. 
We will find out by so doing who is helping him — 
who is on the Lord's side. 

If we are on God's side let us take the Bible and 
prayerfully consider who is with us — the company we 
are keeping, and walk worthy of our vocation where- 
with we are called, Ephes. 4^ 1. 



166 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOB, 

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST. 

To day I have seen the Church, and lo, it was not 
a magnificient building with towering spires, and 
gleaming light through stained windows; not an edi- 
fice of imposing grandeur, of skilful workmanship, 
of embellished wealth, of men and women in broad- 
cloth and silks and satins, of noble mein and kingly 
birth; but of humble and lowly persons, here a bowed 
head and there a contrite spirit, a broken heart and a 
penitent, believing soul, sf^eking mercy at the cross 
of Christ, Far different from our views ! the weeping 
Mary and loving John, the obscure fisherman and the 
despised tax-collector Luke, the beloved physician, 
the abandoned woman of society, and the abashed 
adulteress of Israel. The church in men and women; 
not in brick and mortar, stone and marble, display 
and decoration, but in the living epistles known and 
read of all men. A church composed of human be- 
ings, not the church in form and teautiful exterior, 
of faultless structure, of matchless physique and dig- 
nified demeanor; but in the inner man of the heart — 
a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God 
is a great price. 

Be it known that the church is not in elaborate 
educational systems, ministerial education, dogmatic 
schools and colleges, of richly dressed and cultured 
clergy, jeweled adorned and handsomely robed in 
costly apparel, laity. How is the Church, as it now 
stands, of the poor and dispised JSTazarene of an ob- 
scure Galliean carpenter ! We read that, "God dwel- 
leth not in temples made with hands." He dwells in 
the hearts of true and sincere believers. 



MlSCELLAKEOrS NOTES. 167 

REVIVAL. 

A revival meetinp^ need not go on indefinitely. 
It is ihe preparation for it that takes time. When we 
are ready for a revival it may come even before we 
are aware of it. We read in Isaiah, ''Who hath heard 
such a thing? Who hath seea such things ? shall the 
earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a 
nation be born at once ? for as soon as Zion travailed 
she brought forth her children," Is. 66: 8, The cry- 
ing need to-daj on the part of the church is the prep- 
aration for a revival. We should not try to have it 
before we are ready for it, but get ready for it as 
speedily as possible. When we are ready for a reviv- 
al it will surely come, and the beauty of it is, it ivill 
>stay after it comes. The revival whose fruit remains 
is the only one worth seeking after. A revival of 
this order is the need of the day. Shall we seek one 
of this kind and pray for it until we receive it ? We 
verily believe that we will. God is leading in this 
direction, and we confidently look for a genuine and 
wide spread revival in this and other lands, 

OUR SAVIOUR'S 1 EACHING. 

Jesus taught unequivocally that God the Spirit 
would speak in the disciples— and the subsequent his- 
tory of their lives verify the statement. This is a 
great and notable fact. Was it intended to be perpetu- 
ated ? To answer the inquiry any way but in the af- 
firmative is to deny the very genius of Christianity. 

God the Holy Spirit revealed unto Simeon that he 
should not see death until "he had seen the Lord's 
Christ." '/And Anna the prophetess, coming in at 



168 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and 
spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption 
in Jerusalem." Here are two persons, whom God 
had prepared for and revealed to the coming of our 
Lord, and they both recognize and testify on first 
sight to His being the Lord's Christ. There are peo- 
ple to-day whom God is preparing and unto whom 
He is revealing His purpose and making known His 
will just as truly as He did to the shepherds, Simeon, 
and to Anna, the prophetess. 

INFANT BAPTISM, &c. 

On Oct. 14th, 1898, I was called on to ''christen" 
(make Christians) some children. It so happened 
that the mother of the children had not been cl rist- 
ened in babyhood. When the service had been per- 
formed and the children duly baptized according to 
the Discipline, the mother proceeding on the theory 
that what was good for her children was good for 
her, requested me also to baptize her. 1 asked her if 
she personally accepted Christ as her Saviour, to 
which she replied in the negative. I informed her 
that the Discipline gave me no authority to baptize 
her only on her own profession of faith. Who was 
consistent, the woman or the Discipline ? Did it not 
appear that there were tiuo baptisms taught in the 
Discipline, one for children and another for adults? 
Who could possibly harmonize the Discipline wtih the 
Bible here ? 

But another case, the night of that same day 
there came froward, at church where we had a meet- 
ing in progress, a prominent member of the church, 
requesting me to baptize him. He had been Suaday 



:IIS'JELLAN1£0US NOTES, 169 

School superintendent and Epworth League presi- 
dent, on a former charge where I had served, and 
liaving moved into the bounds of the circuit I was then 
traveling, had connected himself wi one of the 
churches of the-charge,and had been elected president 
uf the Epworth League of the church where we weie 
then holding the meeting. Perhaps, you ask, how did 
this happen ? He thought his parents had had him 
christened when a baby, but in conversation with them 
found cut they had not, so all these years had been in 
the church an active member unbaptized, yet laboring 
under the delusion that he had been. How conld one 
be a New Testament Christian and still be unbaptized? 
Does any one see any similarity between the baptism 
of this person and the baptism of I elievers in New 
Testament times ? Could one receive New Testament 
baptism and not know it ? All one needs to do is to 
bring these facts to bear on one's mind. I will relate 
another case. En-route to a camp-meeting the summer 
or fall of 1893, I stopped all night in a strange place 
with total strangers. On the parents' learning that I 
was a minister (or so reputed myself to be, for they 
only had my word and actions for it) they had me on 
the following morning, before takins^ my departure, 
to baptize their baby. All the pay they got for my 
night's lodging ! Other experiences might be given in 
connection with being sent for to '"christen" babies 
when extremely sick, &c., but the facts already stat- 
ed show some of the absurdities attached to the 
groundless practice in Scripture and reason of Infant 
Baptism I 

Do these things strengthen your faith in it? Are 
you still asked to believe it ? What superstitious no- 



170 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

tions prevail in connection with it ! It fosters human 
vagaries. 

TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

The key-note to every life is the will of God con- 
cerning it. That one may know the will of God in 
reference to himself is the greatest of all privileges 
and blessings. We are not left to ourselves to find 
out the will of God, for He teaches it to them who 
are willing to learn it. "If any man willeth to do 
His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it 
be of God or whether I speak of myself," John 7: 
17. The doctrine that Jesus taught embraced the 
whole of a human life — entering its minutest details 
and largest possibilities. It encompasses the entire 
man — as related to earth, heaven, God, and eternity. 
It touches him wherever he touches anything, and 
wherever anything touches him. A humun life could 
not be more completely over-shadowed, dominated, 
penetrated, and actuated than it is when covered by 
the will of God. It is perfect — wanting nothing. ISTo 
life can ask for more than the will of God be done in 
it. It is asking for all it is capable of, and of becom- 
ing—for all God can do for it and with it. Jesus had 
no higher standard for himself and cannot have a 
higher one for us. 

It is the only criterion by wliich a life may be 
regulated and directed— without it life would be aim- 
less, void, blank. There would be no purpose ia one's 
birth, life, death, or translation. We could not think 
of a greater anomaly or calamity than life without 
the will of God. The great apostle to the Gentiles, in 
speaking of the resurrection and future life,exclaims, 



MlSCELLANKOaS NOTES. 171 

"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are 
of all men most miserable," 1 Cor. 15: 19. How we 
break out in the same strain in regard to the will of 
God ! We cannot find language to express or describe 
our feelings concerning it, such an incoherent, chaot- 
ic, unrecognizable being man would be without it I 
Tempest-tossed, passion-driven, stranded, wrecked, 
ruined, lost ! a true picture of humanity taken apart 
from the will of God ! Never do I want to look upon 
such a picture. May it not be put upon canvass or 
found in the picture-galleries of eternity ! Such a pic- 
ture would cast a shadow even upon the walls of the 
celestial city. There is no place for it in the courts 
of heaven. It would detract from its glory. "Not 
every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into- the kingdom of heaven; but he that doefh tli& 
tcill of my Father which is in heaven," Matt. 8: 21. 

The Lord taught His disciples to say, "Thy king- 
dom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heav- 
en," Matt. 6: 10. He further taught, "It is written in 
the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God," 
John 6: 45. The perfection of His teaching is found 
in His parting discourses to His disciples, "Howbeit 
when He, the Spirit of truth, is come. He will guide 
you into all truth," John 16: 13. And again, we read 
in Hebrews, "For this is the covenant that I will 
make with the house of Israel after those days, saith 
the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and 
write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a 
God, and they shall be to me a people: "And they 
shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every 
man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall 
know me, from the least unto the greatest," Heb. 8: 
10, 11. We are ready to exclaim with Isaiah, "And 



172 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

all of thy children [members of God's church] shall 
be taught of .the Lord; and great shall be the peace of 
thy children," Is. 54: 13. Whence cometh the errors 
in the churches ? not from "the Spirit of truth," 
God's word must be fulfilled, and error banished from 
among His children. 

POWER. 

It is mere child's play to try to save the world 
without power from on high. We just as well close 
our churches so long as we lack this power, unless we 
intend to seek for it until we find it. 

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 
availeth much," James 5: 16. If this is true the res- 
olution of the believer's heart should be, it shall be 
seen. It is either true or not true. If true, it should 
be established, and if not, let it fall with the Bible. 
We should make no cornpromise nor accept any sub- 
stitute here, but strive for the answer and stake all 
upon it and receive it. We are not fighting under a 
"flag of truce," it is victory or death. 

In the prayer that prevails with God, as mention- 
ed by James, Elijah prayed that it might not rain, 
and, then again, that it might rain. Instead of praying 
that it might not rain, James would have us pray for 
the conversion of the sinner ! Here is his conclusion: 
"Brethren if any of you do err from the truth, and 
one convert him, let him know, that he which 
converteth the sinner from the error of his wav shall 
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of 
sins," James 5: 19, 20. God highly prizes the truth. 



MISCELLANECJUS NOTES. 173 

MORAL SCIENCE. 

The doing of the will of God is the secret of mor- 
al philosophy, when it is known that His will is im- 
pelled by His love. 

The discussions of "an ultimate right," the "doing 
right because it is right," or "the choice of a good," 
etc., having absolute value in itself, may,tend to con- 
fuse the unlearned, whereas the doing of the will of 
God, which will is the expression of His love — love in 
action — impelling, constraining, commanding, and re- 
straining, the infinite God, is simple, natural, and 
very plain. That w^e should do "good" or do "right" 
separate from God may be hard for us to comprehend, 
but that in doing His will we shall both do good and 
right is very clear. What is needed, is not so much 
a system of moral philosophy, but rather the truth 
itself. The truth — the whole truth — is to be preferred 
to any classification of it. We have it in its entirety 
in doing the will of God. 

DISCIPLINE. 

All the moral effects of discipline are lost through 
denominationalism. One church abnegates what an- 
other's doe^s. A person excluded from one denomina- 
tion is at liberty to join another. There is not any 
doubt about his being received somewhere. We have 
known it to be the case where this actually occurred. 

How can one church successfully legislate and 
discipline against card-playing, dancing, theatre go- 
ing, etc., when another in the same community does 
not object to its members engaging in these things, 
or, at least, do not take any notice of those who are 



174 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

guilty of doing them ? Where the churches are di viJ- 
ed on worldly practices, what influence can they hope 
to exert on an ungodly and wicked world ? And 
again, suppose a person, becoming offended in any 
way with the communion to which he belongs, 
whether his cause is a just one or not, he may at his 
own option withdraw from them and unite with an- 
other. 

The lesson that offenders would learn by the 
church withdrawing from the disorderly and disobe- 
dient is lost in the asylum offered to them in other 
denominations. To call one's attention to these 
things is sufficient without note or comment. So 
long as it is impossible for denominational churches 
to discipline and exert a moral control over their 
members, they are tied hand and foot in trying to in- 
fluence and convince a gain saying world. "Judg- 
ment must begin first at the house of God," 
1 Pet. 4: 17. 

Again, it is a hinderance to pastoral visitation, 
A minister is duty-bound to visit the sick. He is re- 
stricted in the performance of this duty by denomi- 
nationalism. 

We knew two ministers, one of the M. E. Church, 
the other of the M. E. Church South, who got into 
quite a quarrel about this very thing. The M. E. 
South minister became very much enraged with his 
brother-minister for visiting one of his flock, and at- 
tacked him about it. And this is not the only case 
we know to have occurred. 

»^GOD KNOWETH," 2 COR. U: 11. 

If we get the concensus of the Bible writers and 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 175 

pile up their teaching altogether — they plainly tell us 
God ktioius. To the discouraged and disconsolate 
this must come as a ray of n^in penetrating their 
gloom and darkness. 

It is the hour of prayer and we are trying to word 
our petitions — and feel inadequate to express our de- 
sires in word, or, have indefinable and inexpressible 
longings of soul after God ? Says Jesus, ''Your Fath- 
er knoweth what ye have need of, before ye ask Him," 
Matt. 6: 8; Rom. 8: 26. Are you in need or burdened 
with the fear of want, owning nothing, without mon- 
ey and wealthy relatives or friends upon whom you 
can call, unknown and unsought, with many and 
grave responsibilities, and great and pressing tem- 
poral demands upon you, and you a professing Chris- 
tian — a child of God ? "Your heavenly Father know- 
eth that ye have need of all these things," Matt. 6: 32. 
''But my God shall supply all your need according to 
his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," Phil. 4: 19. 

A.re you confronted with the question, "What 
shall I do, Lord ?" Acts 22: 10, or where is your field 
of labor, or perplexed as to duty or doctrines, or any- 
thing whatsoever, it matters not of what kind or 
character? "Known unto God are all His works 
from the beginning>of the world" or "known to God 
are his works from all eternity," Acts 15: 18. John 
gives us the finale of the matter in his first Epistle, 
"God is greater than our heart and knoweth all 
things,"] John 3: 20. 

If obstacles are in the way, and those whom we 
supposed to be friends are opposing foes, it matters 
not, whoever or whatever impedes our progress or 
blocks our way, "God knoweth all things" — He 
knows, His word says, "For the eyes of the Lord are 



176 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

over the righteous and his eyes open unto their pray- 
ers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do 
evil", etc., 1 Pet. 3: 12, and who dares dispute it? 
Hear the never-to-be-forgotten words of the apostle 
Peter, that comes to us with super-human force, 
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of 
temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day 
of judgment to be punished", 2 Pet. 2: 9. 

How great the relief to turn to the Lord and say 
"Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowesc that I 
love thee, "John 21: 17. 

And to those who could say this, how real their 
deliverance ! Joseph out of prison, Moses out of a 
watery grave, Israel out of Egypt, the three Hebrew 
children in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lion's den, 
Peter out ofprison, and (idinfiaitum, Jesus said/'I 
am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am 
known of mine," John 10: 14. Paul says, neverihe- 
less the foundation of God standeth sure, having this 
seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his" 2 Tim. 2: 
19. ''He knoweth the way of the righteous" Ps. 1: 6. 

We cannot fool God;"But if any man love God, the 
same known of him",l Cor. 8- 3. Paul again:"But now 
after that ye have known God, or rather are known 
of God, "Gal. 4:9. He knows us. He knew the street and 
house in which Saul was stopping and praying. Acts 
9: 12. He knew where to find Ananias and He knew 
where to find Saul, and, He knows where to find you 
and me. When He needs us He will not overlook us. 
He found Moses in Midian, and David following his 
Father's sheep, and Amos gathering sycamore fruit, 
and Peter and Andrew casting a net into the sea — to 
whom He said, "Follow me", and Matthew sitting at 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 177 

the receipt of custom, to whom He also said, ^'Fol- 
low me," etc. 

We are ready to exclaim with one of old, ''Great 
is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is 
infinite"Ps. 147:5. ''Hast thou not known? hast thou not 
heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator 
of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ? 
there is no searching of His understanding," Is. 40: 
28. "O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and 
knowledge of God I how unsearchable are His judg- 
ments and His ways past finding out !"Rom. 11: 33. So 
both Testaments agree and unite — God knows ! 

ORGANIZATIONS. 

Mere human organizations and enterprises, 
though purporting to be churches of the "living 
God," must and will come to nought. Disintegration, 
decay, and destruction are in and adhere to anything 
and everything not undertaken in God's name, in ac- 
cord with His will, and for His glory, Matt. 15: 13. 
So we find Gamaliel advising the Jews how to deal 
with the apostles; "And now I say unto you, refrain 
from these men, and let them alone: for if this coun- 
sel or this work be of men, it will come to nought. 
But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply 
ye be found even to fight against God," Acts, 5: 38, 
39. He cited the cases of Theudas and Judas, who, 
with their followers came to an ignominious end. 
The king-dom of God and the churches of Christ, 
however, are not in any danger, Men may oppose but 
cannot stay the hand of God any more than they can 
the lightning or gather up the wind in their fists. They 
may assault it and bring the battering rams of human 

12 



178 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

envy and diabolical hatred against it, but, lo, i!: stands 
fiiiii, unshaken and irresistible! "Truth crushed to 
earth shall rise again; for the eternal years of God 
are hers." "And in the days of these kings shall the 
God of heaven set up a kingdom v^hich shall never 
be destroyedrand the kingdom shall not be left to other 
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all 
these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever," Dan. 2: 
44. 

THE PREACHER. 

A preacher who cannot "rough" it is not fit for 
the gospel ministry. Paul in writing to Timothy, 
his son in the gospel, exhorts him to "Endure hard- 
ness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ', 2 Tim. 2: 3. 
The life of a soldier in active service is not an easy 
one. The lack of muscle, sunburn, and hardship may 
have militated against the higliest achievements of 
the ministry of the present nge; however, recent ex- 
periences of the missionaries and native Christians of 
China, during the Boxers' uprising, has brought to 
light heroic faith and stalv^art Christian manhood 
and womanhood. Jesus said, in speaking of John 
the Baptist, justifying his ascetic life, and rough ex- 
terior, "But what went ye out for to see? a man 
clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are 
gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in 
kings courts," Luke 7: 25. The ministry in manner 
and appearance have departed from its prototype un- 
til it is not recognizable. 

We wonder if the minister is in direct apostolic 
succession as to method (perhaps "tact" would be 
a better word), who, when the "Amen" to the bene- 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 179 

diction has scarcely been said, and the echo of it died 
away, scuds to the door to "shake hands" with the 
departing congregation ! It is not just in keeping 
with our sense of propriety and the means and meth- 
ods employed by Jesus and His apostles to win men 
to salvation. While the"hand-shake"may be perfect- 
ly sincere on the part of both, it is not "voluntary" 
on the part of the congregation. 

THE NEED OF THE HOUR— MEN. 

If called upon to state the one need of the day, 
that confronts us on every side, I would say un- 
hesitatingly, emphatically, and in my judgment, 
with absolute certainty. Spirit-born, Spirit-fillei, 
Spirit-taught, and Spirit-led men. The need of the 
so-called churches of this age, is not numbers, not 
money, not worldly standing, but men and women 
after. God's own heart. With persons of this class, 
though the number may be small, every other prob- 
lem will solve itself, and every unfriendly force will 
be overcome, and opposing powers adjusted in ac- 
cordance with the promises of God. 

WEa=DEVELOPED CHARACTER. 

We must endeavor to attain a symmetrical charac- 
ter. As long as our character is one-sided, lop-sided, 
and dwarfed in any vital particular, we to that extent 
lack fitness and adaptability for the best, most effici- 
ent, and highest service, we would otherwise be 
capable of rendering. 

The purpose of God revealed in His word con- 
cerning us is, to discipline, train, and develope us in- 



180 TAUGHT THE WILL OF GOD. 

to evenly balanced Christians — consistent in all the 
relations of life both to God and to man 



END. 



EfiMTA. 



(e 



Note: The mistakes that occur in this book from 8ith to 144th 
pages cannot in any vvise be attributed to the author, as he did not see 
tlie proof from the 8ith to r44th pages, and the corrections he made 
on pages 73. 74, 76, 77, and 79, and some others, were overlooked by the 
compositors and are to be included with the above-mentioned errors. 

- — Anthor. 

Page 4, ''sincerety" for "sincerity." ''That is say" 
for ''that is to say." 

" 7, "fulfill" instead of "fufil,"_ "Cherry" for 
cheery. 

9. "acquanted" for "acquainted." 
13, "one's" instead of "one.' " 
15, "a new commandment," etc., small a for 
capital A, and furthermore there should be a 
capital letter wherever a direct quotation oc- 
curs throughout the entire book. 
22, "their" after "by" and before the clause in 
parentheses. 

27, "formed" for "founded." Comma after 
"fall" instead of period. Period after "fall" 
instead of comma. 
47, omit comma after "than." 
53, comma after "home." 
' 67, comma after "men," and "grace" in sent- 
ence "His text-books," etc. 

" 69, read, as "did His" instead of "His did," 
with dash after "His." 

" 73, comma after "gladiatorial." 

" 74, dash after "women." 






182" 

Page 75, ''These quorations bring'^" instead of "Thi> 
quotation brings." 

'' 76, ''worth" instead of "worthy;" "true" in- 
stead of "time;" "exalteth" instead of "ax- 
alteth." John 14: "26" instead of "56." cap- 
ital H in He. 

" 77 "Disciples" instead of "desciples." Comma 
before and after "He said " 

" 79, "unimportant" instead of "nuiraportant.^ 
"Bible" instead of "bible." Comma after "to- 
day." 

"' 81, "of" comment instead of "if." Period af- 
ter "truth" and before "The." 

" &2, "show" instead of "shew." 

" 85, "simply" instead of "simple." 

" 87, "are" instead of "re.'' "individually" in- 
stead of "individuals." 

*'' 88, "where" instead of "when;" "has" instead 
of "had;" comma after "least;" "temerity,, 
instead of "termerity." 

" 92, "occurrence" instead of "occurence." 

" 96, "Giving places the giver," etc., should be- 
gin a new paragraph. Comma after "apostles. ' ' 
Apostrophe after "apostles." 

" 99, comma after "is" and before "Go." com- 
ma after "(Luke 24: 49}." Comma after "im- 
perative" instead of before. 

100, comma after "them" instead of period; one 
sentence instead of two, as the period makes it. 
In death "they" instead of "there" are victori- 
ous. 

" 101, "who can deny our unfitness for service if 
we undertake it prematurely" instead of "our 
undertaking it prematurely." 






183 

Page 102, ''life'' instead of "ife," 

" 103, "kind" instead of "dink." 

" 104, "Zech." instead of "Zeck." Comma after 
"He." Read as follows, "He, as the old 
adage," etc, "fulfill" instead of "fulfild." 

" 105, "sojourn^' instead of "sojurn." 

^' 108, '"We should put on the programme, first, 
prayer" instead of "prayers," and in the next 
place "prayer" instead of "prayers." Read, 
"prayer i« heard," etc. 

*' 109, "affirmative" instead of "affermative." 

" ]02, "the" instead of "thd." 

^' 113, "enthusiasm" instead of "ethusiasm." 

'' 115, "Kis one" instead of "His own." "ship- 
wreck" instead of "wrech." 

"" 116, "We well remember" instead of "We will 
remember." "We ceed more than they," com- 
ma after "they" instead of "We need more 
than this," etc. 
125, "Thy Kingdom" instead of "dingdom." 

128, "Finally" instead of "Fnally;" ""concern- 
ing" instead of "concerniag." 

129, "God's interest in, solicitude for, and de- 
sire to save the sinner" instead of ''God's in- 
terest, in solicitude and desire to save the sin- 
ner." 

131, "to" twice. 

132, "man" instead of "may;" "firmament" 
instead of "firmanent." 

134, "thee" instead of "the." 

135, "mistaking" one's necessity, etc. instead of 
"mistaken." 

137, "obedience" instead of "obiedience." 
"King Saul" instead of Samuel." 



if. 

a 



184 

Page 137, "ultimately" instead of "ultumately." 

" 138, "thee" instead of "the;" "connection" 
instead of "connecfion." 

" 140, "Faithful" instead of "Eaithful;" "accep- 
tation" instead of "acception." 

" 141, "eternal life" instead of comma after 
"eternal." 

" "1 Pet." instead of "1 Per;" "out" instead oi 
"ont." 

" 150, "John" instead of "Johh;" "e" turned 
upside down. 

153,"circumference"instead of"circumferance." 
157, "fellow" instead of "fallow." 
161, '^dishonoring" not "dishoning." ''Spir- 
itual" not "spiritinal." 

" 162, "assembling," 'M" turned upside down, 
"the" ommitted before "same Sabbath 
School." "Pitiful" not pitififul," 

" 163, insert "the" before "Episcopal Church." 
"Christian" not "Christion." 

" 164, quotation marks after "us" and before 
"I did." "Different" not "diflerent." "Dis- 
tinctive" not "destinctive." 

" 165, "spiritual" not "spiritial." "Has" for 
"have" in "has been translated." 

" 166, ' magnificent" not "magnificient." Com- 
ma after "tax-collector" and before "Luke." 
"a" for "of" in "is a great price." "Despised 
not "dispised." 

" 168, "forward" not "froward." 

" 169, "with" not "wi." "Could" not "conld." 
174, comma after "Church" and before "South." 
176, "is" omitted in "the same known of him." 



a 



FEB 26 1903 



